There has been a strong history of first-round defensive linemen with the Kansas City Chiefs, from Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle Buck Buchanan in 1963 to the back-to-back first-round picks that produced Neil Smith and Derrick Thomas in 1988 and 1989.
Even in the modern era, first-round swings have resulted in defensive cornerstones like edge rusher Tamba Hali, nose tackle Dontari Poe and defensive end George Karlaftis.
On the other side of that coin, there have also been whiffs: Ryan Sims
was taken with the sixth-overall pick in the 2002 draft, and the duo of Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson were top-5 picks just over half a decade later. There were no Pro Bowls earned by the trio of top picks, and we’re doing our best to withhold 2023 first-round pick and defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah from being a part of this infamous bunch.
It seems like there are two paths to a defensive lineman picked by Kansas City in the first round of the NFL Draft, and Peter Woods, picked 29th in the 2026 draft, is looking to be considered in the first group.
He comes to the Chiefs with clear talent and was excited to receive instruction from defensive line coach Joe Cullen. Woods talked about his first day of rookie minicamp during a press conference on Saturday.
“It was great,” Woods reflected. “I think the biggest part was just being able to be coached by Coach Cullen for the first time. Just some of the relationships through the coaching world that I’ve had, I’ve heard about his coaching style… I feel we’re going to have a great time together, it’s going to be fun.”
“It’s intense, he pushes you,” Woods said later. “He’s going to coach Chris Jones just as hard as he coaches the rookie, Peter Woods, who’s coming in, just trying to earn his stripes and learn the defense. So I’m really excited about that.”
Cullen has experience coaching multiple fronts, whether it was the 3-4 scheme he was part of with the Baltimore Ravens for five seasons or the 4-3 front that Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has deployed throughout his NFL career.
Woods also has experience in both types of defensive fronts from his time at Clemson. After more experience playing in the even front similar to Kansas City’s during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, it appears coaching changes shifted the Tigers’ defense to more of an odd front that asked Woods to play with more of a two-gapping responsibility.
When the 21-year-old defensive tackle sat down for an interview with “Voice of the Chiefs” Mitch Holthus and Senior team reporter Matt McMullen, Woods made it clear that he’s ready for anything asked of him in the trenches.
“I feel like I can do both at a very elite level,” Woods answered when asked about one-gapping or two-gapping. “I’m a defensive lineman, I can play the one through the five technique, and I can play one or two gaps.
“At the end of the day, it’s just kicking a man’s tail,” Woods clarified. “When you’re working half a man, and you’re beating up on a guy, it doesn’t matter if you’re playing one or two gaps, in my opinion. So just going out there and having the mindset of knowing that I can do everything at an elite level.”
Woods’ mindset fits modern NFL defenses and shows the Chiefs are trending in the right direction in how to deploy the defensive line. The best units can’t stay in one front or another, the scheme has to be multiple, so a player like Woods just needs to kick a blocker’s butt — regardless of what his exact responsibility is.
With plenty of room to grow at such a young age, Woods knows that only so much of his skill set comes naturally to him.
“A lot of it is natural, God-given ability, but I’ve been blessed to have great strength programs in the past that dealt with a lot of explosive work,” Woods shared. “Just things that translate to the field in football and overall explosiveness… it’s something I take very seriously in my offseason.”
The word “explosiveness” is one Chiefs’ Vice President of Player Personnel, Ryne Nutt, highlighted when speaking about the pick of Woods post-draft. It’s a term the front office wants to more aptly describe Kansas City’s front for the foreseeable future.
Chris Jones has always fit that descriptor, and Woods feels like he can bring things to the table that match up with Jones’ All-Pro talents.
“I think we were kind of different players,” Woods said of Jones and him. “But if you look at our tape and our differences, I feel like we’re very complementary of each other, the different things that we can do.”
That said, Woods is ready to learn, an important piece to the game of football for the first-round pick.
“[I’m] always trying to be a guy on the rise,” Woods declared. “Always just trying to find different things to get better, when I feel like I don’t have anything to get better at, I probably won’t be playing the game anymore. So I’m just always trying to be on the rise and find ways to elevate my game.”
“What’s on tape is on tape, and I’m looking to just come here and grow,” Woods stated. “Get better and learn from the great veteran players that we have in here, and also my coaches, coach Cullen and coach [Terry] Bradden, so I’m excited about that.”
