2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Peter Woods

Clemson has had a feast or famine track record with sending on the ball defenders into the NFL over the last decade, with players like Dexter Lawrence, Christian Wilkins (pre-foot injury), D.J. Reeder, Bryan Breese, Vic Beasley, and Grady Jarrett being some great NFL players, either in spurts or for their entire runs. This year, they once again are set to send a pair of defensive linemen into the NFL Draft, the presumed better of the two being 20-year-old IDL Peter Woods.

Standing 6'3 and projected around the 315 lb mark, it would be easy to draw some comparisons to Eagles' standout Jalen Carter, who clocked in virtually identical back at the combine back in 2023. Woods, as his own man, though, is an enticing D-Line prospect in that Clemson used him practically everywhere across the defensive front from 0-tech all the way out to on the EDGE. Although you probably won't be seeing him doing the latter much, if at all, in the NFL, Woods was as dynamic a defensive chess piece up front for the Tigers these last few years, and even in a down production year, he still found his way onto First-Team All-ACC for the first time.

That lack of production, however, remains a looming story for Woods, who has just five career sacks and went from 8.5 TFLs in 2024 to just 3.5 in 2025. Beyond that, though, what does the Greensboro, Alabama native bring to the table with the NFL Combine not too far up the road?

Player Bio

Name: Peter Woods

Jersey: No. 11

Position: Interior Defensive Lineman

School: Clemson

Class: Junior 

Height: 6'3

Weight: 315 lbs.

Games Watched: vs. Wake Forrest and Texas (2024), vs. LSU, Boston College, and Louisville (2025)

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Block Shedding (13.75/15)

I had in my notes for Woods' performance against LSU, "Stack and Shed Merchant (complementary)." His hands are powerful, and he knows how to use them, which explains the success he was having on a wide majority of his run snaps. You didn't see that as much on the pass-rush front, where I'd say he's still a work in progress, but you saw Woods have some sporadic success getting off the line in those spots, and speciffically a couple of longer plays against BC that got him a half-sack on each. Getting guys wrapped up and down has been a bit of an adventure when you talk after the fact, but that's not what we're judging here.

Strength at the LOS (13.5/15)

For a D-Lineman who doesn't have the longest arms you've ever seen, Woods makes up for any leverage defienceies with a pair of very violent and heavy hands, which combined with his elite get off, got him into a ton of adventageous spots. I thought he held up pretty well all things considered vs. a good enough sample size of double teams, and while you'd want to have seen a little more of him showing this off on the pass rush front (more on that in mere moments), you did see him flash the ability to drive interior offensive linemen back, you just would've wanted to see it more.

Pass Rush Ability (10.75/15)

We talked about the lack of career pass-rush production Woods has had in his collegiate career, just five sacks, and ultimately, Woods is still a work in progress here, even with some of the physical tools at his disposal. Even in a game where he was primarily playing off the edge (Louisville in 2024), you got some flashes of what could be, and there are some advanced numbers that indicate Woods is capable of being productive in true pass rush sets; you just didn't see enough just yet on film. Could definitely, and probably should, grow into a more productive guy on pass downs, but it's a matter of getting him an expanded arsenal of pass rush moves, counters, etc.

Consistency (12.5/15)

Motor and effort are things I don't question much, if at all, with Woods, but it'd be hard to ignore his missed-tackle issues. He had a 16.7% missed-tackle rate back in 2024, and while that did get cleaned up in at least the 2025 sample we saw, it wasn't perfect by any means. I'd bet good money that teams are going to be at least somewhat concerned over his sophomore stuff for that reason, and I think it's fair to knock him for that here.

Push (8.75/10)

This is another area where you Woods loses some ground on the pass rush front, but with an already elite get off, you got to see a lot of him being able to position himself, and/or other linemen into spots to close off lanes for opposing running backs, and even set up some chances to force a late direction change, get off his man, and make a stop.

Length Usage (8/10)

I can't imagine Woods is going to measure in with the biggest wingspan metrics we've ever seen come combine time, but I never really got the sense that he played with a bad sense of natural leverage much if at all. Obviously, I think that could get him into trouble at the next level, but that can be remedied with the get off he brings to the table and his heavy and active educated hands as well.

Athleticism (9.75/10)

When you watch Woods, you certainly see a defensive tackle who possesses some really good explosiveness and power, but just to put some of that into perspective, here are some notes that Bruce Feldman collected on him for his annual "Freaks List": Last offseason, he was clocked with a 4.86 40-yard dash, which, if accurate, would sit in the 93rd percentile since 1999, and his 33 inch vertical would put him in the 88th percentile in that same timeframe. Additionally, Feldman found that Woods can allegedly squat 700 lbs and power clean 385 lbs. That'll play.

Football IQ (9.25/10)

The run game is once again where we go with Woods, and outside of mabye two or three plays, this is where he showed off a really good understanding of run fits and simply knowing how to best position himself to either outright make plays or effect things without it showing up in the box score. Brought up the LSU game at the top here as a great example of him with shedding off blocks, and this was one of those plays where he basically sets things up perfectly for himself.

Player Summary

As disappointing as the lack of pass rush production is, I don't blame a bulk of people for being excited and high on Woods going into the key stretch of this draft cycle. Young, athletic, elite run defender, with some bear paws for hands that he frequently puts to good use. Did I mention he's still only 20 years old yet???

Woods is someone I think could fit in any scheme, and would be fine as a one or two-gap defender, but there's a ton of upside in him in a four-man front as a 3-Tech. Either way, he gives you options, which is never a bad thing, and his ability as a run defender is more than enough reason to give him a ton of run as a rookie. This isn't as high as I would've expected for Woods, but at the end of the day, he's a freak athlete who's only turning 21 in about a month and change. Get him with the right teammates and coaches, and I think he has one hell of an opportunity to become a force in the NFL down the road, and if Woods performs at the combine like many, myself included, think he can, he'll probably go higher than this grade suggests.

Rookie Projection: Starting 4-3 IDL

Third-Year Projection: Above Average/Fringe Pro Bowl Caliber 4-3 IDL

Final Grade (86.25/100): Late First Round Talent

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