Maurice Woodard, the Lincoln football team's career receptions leader, was one of 120 international players selected earlier this month in the China Arena Football League's inaugural draft.
Woodard was picked in the 17th round as a wide receiver and defensive back by the Dalian Dragon Kings.
Woodard caught 143 passes in his four seasons with the Blue Tigers, with his best season coming in 2012, when he made 68 receptions for 705 yards. The 68 catches are the second-most in a season by a Blue Tiger while the 705 yards rank third on Lincoln's single-season list. During his senior season in 2013, Woodard caught a team-high 48 passes for 372 yards and a score.
Woodard, an all-MIAA honorable mention in 2012, scored seven touchdowns and amassed more than 1,200 receiving yards in his career at Lincoln.
In fall of 2014, Woodard played for the Elmshorn Fighting Pirates, a German Football League 2 team, and tied for second on the team with 29 receptions. Woodard, who appeared in eight games with the Fighting Pirates, finished third on the team with 480 yards while scoring two touchdowns. Woodard averaged 60.0 yards per game and 16.6 yards per reception, with both ranking second on the squad among receivers with multiple catches.
Woodard has also played for the Billings Wolves of the Indoor Football League and the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League.
The CAFL consists of six teams and will begin its first season of competition Oct. 1.