Patriots’ safeties are Cal products — practicing at Stanford for Super Bowl LX

SANTA CLARA – Practicing at Stanford for Super Bowl LX seems, well, behind enemy lines for the New England Patriots’ starting safeties.

Both Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson went to Cal.

“Mannnn, it’s hard for me. But, no, Stanford has a beautiful campus, a beautiful stadium,” Hawkins said Tuesday. “I give it to them, even though it’s our rival school.”

Don’t go thinking they’ve become traitors. Both Hawkins and Woodson were heading to Berkeley right after Tuesday’s media session.

“Just to get back to your roots, going up there to see the campus and some of the old coaches and friends that we have up there, it’ll be cool,” Woodson said at the Patriots’ hotel just down Great America Parkway from Levi’s Stadium, site of Sunday’s Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks.

Woodson has been a rookie starter this season, and his first career interception came in the Patriots’ 28-16, divisional-round win over the Houston Texans.

Hawkins is in his sixth season out of Cal and in his second season with the Patriots.

“Just having him here has been a blessing,” Woodson said. “Me and him just have a chemistry on the field. It’s something you can’t really teach. You build it on your own. We’ve done it over the course of the season.

“It feels good to have another Cal Bear next to me.”

Both Woodson and Hawkins entered the NFL as fourth-round draft picks. The Atlanta Falcons selected Hawkins in 2020 and, after 48 games and 22 starts, he got released in October 2023. He finished that season with the Chargers before joining the Patriots in 2024.

During a 2022 home win against the 49ers, Hawkins scored a touchdown by recovering a Jeff Wilson Jr. fumble in the end zone and later intercepted a Jimmy Garoppolo fourth-quarter pass.

The 49ers have not drafted a Cal player since 2001, when they spent their first-round pick on defensive end Andre Carter.

“I went into the draft with a clean slate and no expectations,” Hawkins said. “It would be cool, obviously, to come back home to the Bay. It was whatever God’s will was.”

Both Hawkins and Woodson relished being back this week amid the Bay Area’s sunshine and warmth, Woodson adding: “The vibes over here are different from the East Coast. It’s my second home.”

Sunday, they’ll be playing in the 49ers’ home stadium against the Seattle Seahawks, who beat the 49ers in the regular-season finale there to clinch the No. 1 seed and later eliminated the 49ers in the divisional round 41-6 in Seattle.

The Patriots’ safeties have been studying that film, along with others, in preparation for a potent passing combination of quarterback Sam Darnold and receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Woodson commended the 49ers for playing physical, and although the Seahawks dominated with their rushing attack, Woodson said the 49ers’ pass defense “limited explosive plays, and that’s something we have to do as well.”

Cal has had 30 players who graduated or completed their careers at Cal and gone on to win the Super Bowl, including C.J. Anderson with the Denver Broncos at Levi’s Stadium a decade ago.

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Cal’s Super Bowl winners:

C.J. Anderson (Denver 50)

Stephen Anderson (New England LIII)

Tully Banta-Cain (New England XXXVIII, New England XXXIX)

Jeff Barnes (Oakland XV, Los Angeles Raiders XVIII)

Desmond Bishop (Green Bay XLV)

Matt Bouza (San Francisco XVI)

Doug Brien (San Francisco XXIX)

Je’Rod Cherry (New England XXXVI, New England XXXVIII, New England XXXIX)

Joe Cooper (New York Giants XXI)

Scott Fujita (New Orleans XLIV)

Matt Giordano (Indianapolis XLI)

Tarik Glenn (Indianapolis XLI)

Rhett Hall (San Francisco XXIX)

Steve Hendrickson (San Francisco XXIV)

Chidi Iwuoma (Pittsburgh XL)

Mychal Kendricks (Philadelphia LII)

Marshawn Lynch (Seattle XLVIII)

Brandon Mebane (Seattle XLVIII)

Craig Morton (Dallas VI)

Gary Plummer (San Francisco XXIX)

Doug Riesenberg (New York Giants XXV)

Nikko Remigio (Kansas City LVII, Kansas City LVIII)

Ron Rivera (Chicago XX)

Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay XLV)

Mitchell Schwartz (Kansas City LIV)

Brian Schwenke (New England LIII)

Loren Toews (Pittsburgh IX, Pittsburgh X, Pittsburgh XIII, Pittsburgh XIV)

Bryce Treggs (Philadelphia LII)

Shane Vereen (New England XLIX)

Ray Wersching (San Francisco XVI, San Francisco XIX)