Peter Woods is a defensive tackle from Clemson who is ranked No. 13 on my NFL Draft Top 100 Big Board. This comprehensive scouting report analyzes Woods’s draft potential, current mock draft trends, and where he ranks among the top prospects.
Peter Woods’s NFL Draft Potential
Peter Woods’ valuation in the 2026 NFL Draft will be a test of traits versus production. That’s not something we expected to say after Woods racked up three sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 20 pressures per PFF in 2024. But Woods’ 2025 campaign has been very quiet by comparison — not necessarily bad, just quiet. And for a prospective early-to-mid Round 1 pick, that’s at least something that demands a follow-up.
Here’s what the tape tells us: Woods has still been more disruptive than his raw production would indicate. While his PFF pressure rate has been chopped in half — from around 9% in 2024 to 4.7% in 2025 — Clemson has also played with a positive game script far less often. There has also been inconsistent buy-in at times — not just from Woods, but from most of the defense — as the Tigers limp to potential bowl exclusion under Dabo Swinney. Woods is a clear NFL talent, and when he does make the jump, he could benefit more from an NFL environment than his current one.
Even with the inconsistent play and the poor overarching circumstances, Woods still has a solid 79.4 PFSN CFB DTi grade. At a hyper-dense 6’3″, 310 pounds, he still flashes the uncommon explosiveness, natural leverage, and point-of-attack power output to reset the line in run defense and blink through gaps. And while he’s been needed far more on the interior than at outside alignments, he’s shown glimpses of the flexibility and versatility that made his 2024 tape so compelling.
For better or worse, Woods’ 2025 tape might not hold as much weight as his 2024 tape — but at the same time, we can’t shy away from new concerns that arise. Woods’ inconsistent motor may be a product of program buy-in, but that can’t happen at the NFL level. He has elite raw tools, but might need more consistency as a technician and counter artist to win against muddy interior blocking looks. If he declares, his testing and his best tape should win over defensive coordinators eyeing him as a versatile 3-tech, but he remains a prospect with questions to answer before top-flight capital is a lock.
CFB Week 9 Update
Clemson was on a bye in Week 9, but they’ll be back on the schedule in Week 10 when they face the formidable Duke Blue Devils. Woods shouldn’t line up against Duke’s tackles — the prime NFL Draft prospects on the Blue Devils front — as often as he will against the center and guard, but the matchup is nonetheless a valuable one for Woods’ evaluation.
Duke’s line is incredibly physical and proactive at winning the contact point, so Woods will have to be keyed-up, playing at a fast pace, and also properly acquiring leverage and loading his base in both phases.
CFB Week 10 Update
Woods’ 2025 campaign hasn’t been as productive as his 2024 showing, but his game against Duke was a positive checkpoint. Woods still pops too far upright on lateral counters at times, but he was explosive and sturdy against the run in this contest, and dynamic and unpredictable against the pass, with a particular gravity that we’d been accustomed to seeing from him in 2024.
Duke respected Woods with double and even triple-teams at times, and still, Woods was able to secure a sack and generate pressure at a consistent clip. He forced Darian Mensah to get the ball out quick with his searing linear explosiveness and angle freedom when adjusting as a stunting lineman. There’s still work to do with his counter quickness and pad level management, but Woods still looks like a first-round talent, despite his deteriorating environment.
CFB Week 11 Update
Woods’ production has assuredly fallen off this year, and that continued against Florida State – but the tape was more complementary of his impact, even if his projection has deflated a bit. Woods doesn’t have a pass-rush plan as consistently as he did in 2024, but Clemson has also played him a bit out of position – more often at 0-tech and 1-tech than 3-tech and outside.
Against Florida State, the red-hot motor that defined his 2024 tape was back. He was chasing plays to the sideline, relentlessly attacking on second efforts, and using his hyperactive lateral agility and explosive range to shade across gaps and constrict rush looks. And on one occasion, his hyper-elite explosive power caved in the entire interior, collapsing a blocking scheme just as the play began.
The dominant upside is there. Woods doesn’t always rise to it, but Week 11 gave up valuable glimpses of what he has been.
CFB Week 12 Update
Week 12 had the customary, dominating peaks we’ve seen from Woods now and then in 2025, but also the maddening inconsistency that has defined his downturn from 2024. One particular observation stood out this week against Louisville: Woods looks noticeably more stiff in 2025 than he did in 2024.
He’s not as fluid on redirections or counters, and he doesn’t get off blocks as easily because of this. Additionally, this stiffness also contributes to his pads drifting too high at times. He still has the hyper-elite explosiveness and power to reset the line and stack in the run game, but the stiffness — perhaps a product of his added weight this offseason — has undeniably changed his outlook, and it raises questions regarding what his actual playing weight should be in the NFL.
Where Is Woods Being Selected Most Often in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator?
Woods currently holds the No. 12 overall rank among prospects, placing him among the first-round caliber prospects. His most recent Average Draft Position (ADP) of 17.6 as of November 19 reflects that he is typically being selected in the first round.
The gap between his rank and ADP indicates that while he’s highly regarded on our board, draft simulators are seeing him slide slightly, possibly due to team needs or positional value considerations.
Users controlling the Baltimore Ravens have been the team that selected Woods the most frequently over the past week, accounting for 9.8% of their picks across all seven rounds. Notably, 33.6% of the Baltimore Ravens’ first-round selections over that same period were used on Woods, underscoring users’ strong preference for him as a potential immediate-impact defensive tackle.
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Where Does Peter Woods Rank Amongst Other NFL Draft Prospects?
Woods is currently ranked No. 13 overall in my November 2026 NFL Draft Big Board. Among DT prospects, Woods ranks 1st at the position, making him the top-rated DT in this draft class. As a first-round caliber prospect, Woods is among the top-tier players in this draft class.
Want to see how we rank all the draft prospects in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator? Check out our NFL Draft Prospect Rankings page, which includes more than 750 prospects.
