2026 NFL DRAFT
PROSPECT PROFILE
PETER WOODS
DL, CLEMSON 6-3, 315
Strengths
- Extremely athletic with exceptional bend and flexibility for his size
- Lightning quick get off
- Powerful lower half that enables him to push through initial contact and make plays behind the line
- Elite swim and swipe moves
- Does a good job of holding his ground to diagnose and react to make plays
- Good motor to make plays laterally down the line and chase plays from behind
Weaknesses
- Does not have an effective punch to stun defenders
- Can play upright and lose leverage
- Does not do a great job with his hands to keep his frame clean initially as he prefers to counter once the contact is made
- Has a tendency to lunge and dive at players, forcing him to miss tackles instead of taking an extra step or two in pursuit
- Overall effectiveness of his play decreased from excellent 2024 season
- Does not have the size or speed to regularly play outside of a 3-tech alignment
- Wins with quickness rather than power to push the pocket from the interior
- Can get washed out by double team blocks
Peter Woods is not the old school 300LB mammoth IDL that anchors the interior and eats up double teams to free up teammates to make plays. He is a player that wins at the POA with quickness, flexion and athleticism. His athleticism was on full display at Clemson where he was featured at RB getting carries on goaline and short yardage plays. For as fantastic as his skill set is, it limits him to a 3-tech alignment. He was used in the 5-tech out on the edge at Clemson, but he does not posses the speed or length to really be effective there, as well as the girth to play over or shade the Center in a zero or 1-tech. He would be an absolute nightmare in a Nascar package where he can use his quickness to beat interior linemen without the threat of double teams taking him out.
Depending on what a team is looking for from an interior defender he is going to be one of the first 2-3 DL selected in April as he is a blue-chip talent in a good DL draft. I would say his draft range is anywhere from pick #10-#25 in the first round. I would comp him as a more athletic Jer’Zhan Newton who wins with quickness and athleticism more than power, but his lower half strength and leg drive are borderline elite. He would be a terrific fit with the Chargers at #22 if he is available.
I’ve watched 20 prospects in this class so far, Erick. Woods is one of about only 3 players who’ve wowed me so far. I’d love him to be a Charger. If Mason Graham was a Top 5 pick last year, I don’t see why in this weaker class he’s not being considered there either. They even have some of the same limitations (shorter arms, lower pass rush win rate, etc). IMO getting Peter Woods at 1.22 would be a great result on Draft Night.
Here is my summary and notes on him:
§ Watched games v Texas (2024), LSU (2025), Boston College (2025) & Louisville (2025)
§ Summary:
· Woods is a scheme versatile Defensive Tackle with impressive athleticism and a frame not yet close to being maxed out. At 20yo, Woods already has three seasons’ worth of experience playing in multiple fronts but majoring as a 1-tech/3-tech along Clemson’s line. His attack-react playing style and shorter arms lead to some negative plays against the run and he lacks a true bull rush. But his natural playmaking instincts, quick feet and violent hands flash his potential to be a disruptive three-down linemen at the next level.
§ Strengths:
· Impressive foot quickness and get-off for his size. Pairs this with rapid, strong hands to swat away opponent as a pass rusher.
· Displays consistent ability to stack (including with one arm), peak, shed and tackle defending the run, from different alignments.
· Has the hip flexion and agility to hold up against/work around blocks in zone schemes at an elite level. This trait also draws holding penalties since he’s always working back violently to the ball carrier.
· Good closing speed. He’s a natural playmaker when around the ball carrier.
§ Question Marks:
· Attack-react playing style allows some cutbacks lane to develop and can also be exploited in the screen game.
· Relies on athleticism to swim around OL but not much evidence on tape that he can bull rush through them. This is likely due to having shorter arms for the position but it might not matter given he’s so hard to get hands on.
· Tendency to get upright quickly out of stance creates some problems withstanding double teams. Lacks mass to anchor once a lineman engages successfully against him.
· Pass rush production and win rate below average in 2025 (entire Clemson team struggled).
I watched the BC and Duke game because I could double dip watching Brian Parker as well. I think we see him the same way as most of our notes match. The fact that the bull rush isn’t more prevalent as a pass rush technique is puzzling because he has excellent leg drive to push past OL in run defense and making plays behind the LOS. I think playing him at DE or Edge is a waste. He does not have that kind of bend, hands or foot speed to be really effective there. It’s great that he has shown an ability to kick out there if needed, but for me he is 3-tech, and putting him next to Tuli with Oweh and another pass rusher on the Edge in a NASCAR package would be a nightmare for offenses. Another positive for him with the Chargers is that he could fill Harbaugh’s kink of having DL play at RB/FB. The testing will be important for him also, because some evaluators are very strict with things like hand size and arm length in certain positions. I think coming in lower on those ranks will be a factor in him possibly being around at 1.22. I just started to watch Lee Hunter a little last night so he will be my next evaluation.
I finished my evaluation of Lee Hunter yesterday so I’m looking forward to swapping notes.
As for Peter Woods’ fit, one concern could be that his skillset is duplicative of Tart’s. But having just watched the Seahawks win it all with their heavy DL rotation, I think the more talent we add there, the merrier we will be. I also think Woods is a tier above Tart as an athlete (not to be confused with being a Teair above him 😅 ).
I have a dim view on hard measurable thresholds. I think Jeremiah said it best on his pre-Combine call with media yday: ‘Start with the tape. Write down the issues you’ve noticed for the player. If you notice the player has a recurring weakness that could be explicable to a specific measurable, and then later you confirm that measurable is lacking, that is the time to start reconsidering his fit with your team.’
That’s the way I would approach it. If I haven’t noticed any issues with your tape, I don’t need to obsess over your hand size (for example).
With Woods, I think the arm length shows up when he tries to bull rush, so it is a legitimate thing to consider. I actually love him as a run game disrupter though. Slanting and crashing and fighting back hard against zone blocks to tackle the RB. In a league where getting opposition consistently into 3rd & 7 + is the objective. Woods should help get you there.