He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes and was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft.

Wilfork is considered to be one of the greatest defensive tackles in NFL history,[1][2] and was named both to the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro team in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.

[3] Wilfork was born in Boynton Beach, Florida, and attended Santaluces Community High School in nearby Lantana.

Before the 2003 season, Wilfork was rated the second best defensive tackle in the country by The Sporting News and went on to start all 13 games for Miami.

Wilfork was ranked by most in the media as the second best defensive tackle prospect in the 2004 NFL draft behind only Tommie Harris.

[7] Wilfork drew comparisons to fellow Miami alumnus Warren Sapp,[8] and was selected in the first round (21st overall) by the New England Patriots.

Wilfork saw considerable playing time during his rookie season, sharing the nose tackle position with veteran Keith Traylor and started Super Bowl XXXIX against the Philadelphia Eagles, a Patriots victory.

Following Traylor's release, Wilfork had a career-high 54 tackles in 2005 and started all 16 games;[11] however, the defending champions were eliminated in the second round of playoffs by the Denver Broncos.

[12] In the last game of the regular 2007 season, Wilfork placed his finger in the facemask of New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs after a play in the second quarter.

[12] He was also fined $5,000 for a 15-yard face-mask penalty called in the AFC Championship Game against the San Diego Chargers, while attempting to tackle running back Michael Turner.

In an interview with the South Florida Sun-Sentinel he also acknowledged it would be "a dream come true" to play for either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Miami Dolphins.

[18] After starting the first three games of the 2010 season at nose tackle, Wilfork moved to defensive end beginning in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins.

He would continue to switch between the positions for the remainder of the season, but started all 16 games and finished with 57 tackles and two sacks.

In the second game of the 2011 season, Wilfork got his first career interception off San Diego Chargers quarterback, Philip Rivers.

He started in the game and recorded three total tackles, but the Patriots lost to the New York Giants by a score of 21–17.

[29] On March 5, 2015, the Patriots declined their team option on Wilfork's contract, which made him a free agent at the end of the 2014 league season.

[33] In his two seasons in Houston, he totaled 43 tackles, helping the Texans win back-to-back AFC South titles.

[35] After the Super Bowl LIII win, Wilfork carried the Lombardi Trophy along with Emmitt Smith and Joe Namath to the presentation stage.

In 2022, Wilfork was voted into the Patriots Hall of Fame, becoming the sixth player in their first year of eligibility to be selected by the fans.

[39] Following the Patriots' victory in the 2014 AFC Championship game, Wilfork helped remove a driver out from an overturned vehicle.