Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods drafted by AFC powerhouse
Peter Woods entered Clemson as a highly touted recruit and leaves as a first-round NFL draft pick.
The Kansas City Chiefs selected the Clemson junior defensive tackle with the 29th overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night. Woods becomes the first Tigers defensive tackle to go in the first round since the New Orleans Saints picked Bryan Bresee in the 2023 draft.
Woods was surrounded by his family, who were all dressed in white, at his draft party held at Jim Ellis’ Maserati dealership in Atlanta. He said the Chiefs were one of the teams in touch with him throughout the draft process.
“It was very emotional,” Woods told reporters after his selection. “I knew if I was still there and the time came that this was going to happen (getting drafted by the Chiefs). This is what God wanted for me, and I am excited to be a Chief.”
Woods was a five-star prospect coming out of Thompson High in Alabama and was a two-year starter for Dabo Swinney and Clemson. In 35 career games, Woods had 99 tackles (14.5 for loss) and five sacks. His production dipped some this year because he faced more double teams, but he was a first-team Associated Press All-American selection, the first by a Clemson defensive tackle by Christian Wilkins.
“He’s going to fit right in day one and will be ready to compete. He learns the game easily. It’s hard to find guys that have his uniqueness,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said of Woods. “He really will be different from probably anybody else that’s in the room with him. He played all the special teams for us his whole career, played offense for us, and he’s also a graduate in three years, which shows you his maturity, his ability to manage his time and to achieve a goal that he set forward.”
Woods (6-3, 310) was projected as a possible first- or second-round pick in most mock drafts, going as high as No. 22 or as low as No. 37.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper called Woods “quick, athletic and strong,” adding that “the talent of Peter Woods is through the roof.”
Woods played in some Clemson offensive packages as a junior, taking snaps as a jumbo running back and fullback. He carried the ball eight times for 15 yards, two touchdowns and four additional first downs and was the first player in the country since 2005 to record multiple games with a sack and rushing TD
After Woods’ selection, ESPN analyst Booger McFarland raved about Woods’ athleticism.
“He has elite athletic ability,” McFarland said. “The 2025 season wasn’t as good as 2024. He thought he was going to be a top-10 pick before the season. But he has strong hands and the ability to control the offensive line. He can make plays up and down the line of scrimmage.”
With the selections of Woods and offensive tackle Blake Miller (No. 17 overall to Lions), Clemson produced two first-round picks for the ninth time in program history and third time in the last six years (2020, 2021, 2023).
He is the Chiefs’ first Clemson draftee since receiver Cornell Powell in 2021 and joins a franchise that features star Patrick Mahomes II at quarterback and has won three of the last seven Super Bowls.
“He’s a kid we had our eye on right from the beginning,” Kansas City coach Andy Reid said Thursday. “He’s got great athletic ability.”
This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 10:53 PM with the headline "Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods drafted by AFC powerhouse."
