Clemson Tigers' Peter Woods Receives Bold Draft Prediction

Clemson Tigers defensive tackle Peter Woods is one of the top players at his position ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. That makes Woods a likely first-round pick, though his draft stock has fallen.

Woods entered the 2025 season as one of the top players in the draft, with the potential of being a top-five pick. However, after a rough season, his draft stock has fallen.

It was a challenging year for Clemson in general, going 7-6 and losing to Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl. They entered the season with expectations to be one of the best teams in college football after reaching the College Football Playoff in 2024.

Dabo Swinney's group regressed, leading to one of their most disappointing seasons in years. With that, Woods's stock took a dive, as he wasn't as impressive as he was in his sophomore season.

In the 2024 campaign, Woods was impressive for the Tigers, finishing with 28 total tackles, three sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. It was an impressive season, showcasing his pass-rushing and run-stuffing ability.

However, in the 2025 season, his numbers dipped to 30 total tackles, two sacks, and 3.5 tackles for loss. 

Woods is still one of the top defensive tackles in the draft, but in Daniel Jeremiah's mock draft, he has fallen all the way to the 30th pick. 

Although it's not as high as Woods envisioned, there is still plenty of time before the draft, including the NFL Combine. If he does end up going with the 30th pick, the benefit would be joining one of the best defenses in football, the Denver Broncos.

Denver was just one game away from making it to the Super Bowl behind an elite defense. However, quarterback Bo Nix's injury in the Divisional Round may have spoiled their hopes of winning it all.

Adding a player of Woods' caliber to their defense would make it even more difficult for offenses to score against the Broncos.

The Tigers have a lot of work to do, as they will need to replace players like Woods, but hope he goes off to have an impressive NFL career.

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