Peter Woods is a highly disruptive defensive lineman who demands respect from opposing offenses in both phases of the game.

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​Woods was a 4-star recruit and a top 100 player in the 2023 recruiting class, choosing Clemson over Florida, Alabama, Auburn, Texas, and many others. Woods led Thompson High School in Alabaster, Alabama to four consecutive state championships, earning All-American honors and several elite offers along the way. He's since been a starter and highly disruptive force for the Clemson defense, earning Freshman All-American Honors in 2023 and First-Team All-ACC honors in 2025.

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Woods is a rare high-floor, high-ceiling prospect thanks to his good size, movement skills, burst, upper body strength, technical refinement, and play recognition. He has powerful hands and elite burst for a player his size that allows him to convert speed to power as a pass rusher and reset the LOS against the run. Against the run. Woods has sound technique and the requisite power profile necessary to make stacking and shedding blocks look routine. His coordinated movement ability allows him to occasionally split double teams, and his raw power prevents him from being regularly moved off his spot. Woods displays solid IQ and play recognition; there are reps where he discards his blocker and moves ridiculously fast to meet the ball carrier for little or no gain. Overall, Woods has a borderline elite run defense profile and should be expected to contribute in this department from day one.

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Where Peter Woods' natural leverage helps him in the run game, it can be a bit limiting for him as a pass rusher. Woods has a stout frame that lacks elite length, naturally limiting his ability as a pass rusher despite his burst and strength. He often engages without a pass rush plan and fails to maximize his athletic ability. Woods has flashed some effective inside counters thanks to his violent, quick hands, but appears to lack the flexibility to execute them and pressure the QB regularly. This becomes an issue with how often he gives up his chest; he often mistimes or misplaces his hands and allows the initial contact exchange to cut the rep short. A lot of this is to be expected from a young pass rusher, however, Woods has only regressed from a statistical standpoint since his freshman year; we've seen a decline in his pass rush win rate, pressure rate, and box score stat totals. This could, in part, be chalked up to the way in which he was deployed in 2025--he played a lot more 3-tech, 2i, and nose tackle than we've seen before, as well as a steep decline in reps taken over or outside the tackle. Regardless, Woods is far from a finished product as a pass rusher, but has some elite athletic traits and encouraging flashes on film that lead me to believe he will wind up a highly effective interior pass rusher in the NFL.

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What sets Woods apart and takes him into rarified territory with other elite interior prospects (Jeffery Simmons, Quinnen Williams, etc.) is his ability to dominate from a variety of alignments, from the interior out to the edge. Woods can be a playmaker and 2-gap in an odd front, but I believe he's best suited to be a highly disruptive 3-tech whose burst and power make him a legit problem for opposing offenses.

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Grade: mid 1st round

Archetype: Disruptive 3-Down 3-Tech

High-End Pro Comparison: Quinnen Williams

Low-End Pro Comparison: B.J. Hill