Peter Woods
Peter Woods  DL  Clemson | NFL Draft 2026 Souting Report - Portrait Image
Peter Woods
Height
6-3
Weight
315
College
Clemson
Position
DL/EDGE
Class
Sophomore
Home town
Alabaster, AL
88.2/100
Player Rating
3
PositionRank (DL)
4.75
FortyYD Time
Sacks
3
Fumbles Forced
1
Tackles
26
Sol tackles
18

Peter Woods DL/EDGE Clemson | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Peter Woods DL/EDGE Clemson
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

SUB-POSITION: NT/DT
Last Updated: 05/06/2025
Draft Year: 2026
40 time: 4.75 seconds (84%*)
Age: 20.2 DOB: 03/05/2005
Measurables:
Height: 6-3 (41%*) Weight: 315 (88%*)
Forty: 4.75 (O) (84%*)
0% 100%
(C) - NFL Combine (P) - Pro Day (O) - Other (HS) -Estimated from High School Combine
For an explanation of how the (HS) data is calculated see this article
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SUB-POSITION: NT/DT
Last Updated: 05/06/2025
Draft Year: 2026
40 time: 4.75 seconds (84%*)
Age: 20.2 DOB: 03/05/2005
Measurables:
0% 100%
Height: 6-3 (41%*) Weight: 315 (88%*)
Forty: 4.75 (O) (84%*)
(C) - NFL Combine (P) - Pro Day (O) - Other
(HS) -Estimated from High School Combine
For an explanation of how the (HS) data is calculated see this article
SHARE THIS PROFILE:
Overall Rating: 88.2 / 100
Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced
Offense Rating:
79%
Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects.
Tackling:
61%
Pass Rush:
77%
Run Defense:
86%
DRAFT PROJECTION: 1st - Mid
Overall Rank: #11 Position rank: #3
College Games: 23 College Snaps: 696
Grade: 5 ESPN  Stars 5 ESPN  Stars ESPN RATING: 93/100
Grade: 247 Sports 4  Stars 247 Sports 96 Stars 247 RATING: 96/100
Grade: 5 Stars 5 Stars RIVALS RATING: 6.1 (100%)
Player Comparison* (Similarity level)
Keion White - Georgia Tech
63%
Byron Young - Alabama
60%
Jalen Redmond - Oklahoma
57%
Draft Profile: Bio
Born in the heart of Alabama football country, Peter Woods established himself as a generational talent long before setting foot on Clemson's campus. The Alabaster native tore through high school competition with Thompson, stacking four consecutive 7A state championships while amassing an eye-popping 260 tackles, 72 TFLs, and nearly 30 sacks. His dominance earned him MaxPreps All-American honors and Alabama Player of the Year recognition before arriving at Clemson as ESPN's ninth-ranked overall prospect in the 2023 class.
Woods wasted no time making his presence felt in Death Valley, earning Freshman All-American honors while posting 27 tackles and 10 quarterback pressures – most among Clemson's interior defenders – despite playing just 307 snaps. His sophomore campaign showcased his versatility as he split time between defensive tackle and edge positions, racking up 32 tackles, 8.5 for loss, and 3 sacks across 391 defensive snaps. The coaching staff even deployed his athleticism in jumbo offensive packages, further highlighting his rare physical gifts.
Now in his junior season, the 6'3", 315-pound wrecking ball has firmly established himself among college football's elite defenders. After spending significant time at defensive end in 2024, Woods is expected to shift back inside in 2025, where his combination of power, quickness, and technical savvy could elevate him from standout to superstar.
Scouting Report: Strengths
  • Explosiveness off the snap jumps off the tape – consistently the first defender moving at the snap, gaining immediate leverage advantage that disrupts blocking schemes before they develop.
  • Rare athletic fluidity for his size allows him to bend and contort through gaps that should be closed to a 315-pound man – showed this repeatedly against Georgia's NFL-caliber interior line.
  • Violent, heavy hands that land with shocking power – when he connects cleanly on a punch, opposing linemen visibly rock backward, creating instant separation even against double teams.
  • Versatility to play anywhere from 3-technique to outside edge – demonstrated this against Virginia where he recorded five tackles and dominated from multiple alignments across the front.
  • Exceptional run defense instincts – consistently diagnoses blocking schemes pre-snap, maintains proper gap integrity, and shows the processing speed to adjust when plays develop differently than expected.
  • Powerful lower half generates tremendous drive when bull rushing – can walk offensive tackles straight back into the quarterback's lap when he decides to convert speed to power.
  • Shows advanced hand-fighting techniques, including well-timed swipes, chops, and counters that suggest hours of technical refinement rarely seen in collegiate defenders.
  • Motor runs white-hot regardless of situation – chases plays 20+ yards downfield and maintains same intensity in fourth quarter as first, evidenced by his late-game production against Texas.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
  • Pass rush plan occasionally becomes predictable – relies heavily on first-step explosion and bull rush rather than working through a diverse sequence of moves when initial attack fails.
  • Tackling technique shows concerning inconsistency – plays with such aggression that he sometimes overruns ball carriers or fails to break down properly before contact.
  • Can get caught playing too high when fatigued, allowing offensive linemen to get under his pads and neutralize his natural power advantage late in games.
  • Sometimes struggles to disengage quickly once blockers lock onto his frame – flashes the hand technique but hasn't consistently applied it when tightly engaged with quality opponents.
  • Production doesn't yet match physical dominance – despite regularly disrupting plays, his sack and TFL numbers haven't reached elite levels that his traits suggest they could.
Scouting Report: Summary
Woods brings the kind of positional versatility that defensive coordinators dream about. His ability to dominate from multiple alignments makes him a scheme-proof defender who can be the centerpiece of either an aggressive 4-3 or two-gap 3-4 system. What separates him from other defensive line prospects is how he combines raw power with sudden explosiveness – he's not just pushing people around, he's beating them to spots they can't recover from.

In today's NFL where interior pressure has become the gold standard for disrupting timing-based passing attacks, Woods projects as an immediate three-down impact player who can collapse pockets from the inside while holding firm against the run. Teams with established edge rushers but lacking interior disruptors would see immediate dividends from Woods' ability to command double teams and create one-on-one opportunities for teammates.

Put simply, Peter Woods has the tools to become a game-wrecker at the next level. His combination of first-step quickness, raw power, and technical refinement evokes memories of Fletcher Cox in his prime – a defender who altered game plans by his mere presence. While he needs to convert more pressures into finished plays, Woods' ceiling suggests a future pro-bowler who could anchor a championship-caliber defensive front for the next decade.

How other scouting services rate Peter Woods (Overall Rank)

All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
22.0
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
5.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance. For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.

*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.