With the 29th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs continued to add to their defense with the selection of defensive tackle Peter Woods from Clemson.
With the addition of Woods, veteran Chiefs players like quarterback Patrick Mahomes and defensive tackle Chris Jones are reacting to the pick.
Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones on Peter Woods
Over the course of three seasons with Clemson, Woods has had an average score of 79.6 in PFSN’s College Football Defensive Tackle Impact Metric. His best season came in 2023 (81.8, ranked 36th), and his worst, unfortunately, came in 2025 (76.6, ranked 107th).
Over 35 games in three seasons, he has 84 combined tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, one pass defended, and two forced fumbles.
Despite their poor performance in 2025, he’ll join one of the best organizations in the league, as well as one of the best defensive coordinators with Steve Spagnuolo. In 2025, the Chiefs’ defense ranked 11th with an impact score of 79.4 and a letter grade of C+ in PFSN’s NFL Defensive Impact Metric.
Fellow defensive tackle Jones reacted by saying, “There we go…”
Next season, it’s safe to say that Jones and Woods will form one of the best defensive fronts in the entire league. This season, Jones recorded 29 combined tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 25 quarterback hits, 7 sacks, and 2 passes defended. In PFSN’s NFL Defensive Tackle Impact Metric, he ranked seventh with an impact score of 86.6 and a letter grade of B.
In his entire career, he has recorded 339 combined tackles, 99 tackles for loss, 220 quarterback hits, one safety, three fumble recoveries, 13 forced fumbles, 39 passes defended, two interceptions, and one pick-six.
Mahomes added on to Jones’ seal of approval by sharing two muscle emojis.
Before suffering a severe season-ending knee injury against the Los Angeles Chargers, Mahomes played in 14 games. In 14 games, he completed 62.7% of passes for 3587 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Additionally, he rushed 64 times for 422 yards and five touchdowns. In PFSN’s NFL Quarterback Impact Metric, he ranked 17th out of qualified quarterbacks with an impact score of 77.2 and a letter grade of C+.
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This period shouldn’t be viewed as a rebuild for the Chiefs; instead, it’s a retooling. With their first-round picks, they’ve been able to get younger and cheaper, which will also give them more control over contract lengths.
If the Chiefs’ draft class plays exceptionally well, they might be able to keep themselves in a contending position, even if Mahomes isn’t able to start the season because of his injury recovery.
