On Thursday, the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods with pick No. 29 in the first round.
After trading up to acquire the top defensive back in the draft, the Chiefs used the next two picks on pass rush, Woods, and defensive end R Mason Thomas from Oklahoma. On Monday, Chiefs’ Vice President of Player Personnel Ryne Nutt talked about the duo as a pair of explosive players.
“He’s explosive off the ball,” Nutt said of Woods. “When you’re explosive off the ball, you can reduce
the space between you and an [offensive lineman], it gives you an advantage. Both play low; they have really good pad leverage, they’re really fast off the ball, and they’re explosive. Primarily, they’re speed-rush guys, but they have sneaky power where they can keep a tackle or a center or guard off-balance, that allows them to win quickly.
“We felt like both were extremely disruptive,” Nutt described. “Both had high motors. Both of those kinds of features in a player result in being disruptive at the NFL level.”
Woods has been a divisive prospect, with differing opinions on the 21-year-old’s game throughout draft coverage. At the start of the 2025 college season, some saw Woods as a potential top-10 selection, but as the season progressed, he slipped in the rankings due to inconsistent play.
A mediocre athletic testing period across the NFL Scouting Combine and his Pro Day led some to believe he could fall out of the first round, but the Chiefs were not deterred and made the selection.
Despite some red flags, Woods is the explosive, disruptive player the Chiefs coveted. If he can put it all together, he has All-Pro potential. Let’s look at the film:
A look at the film
Woods is entering the NFL at a height of 6 feet 2 inches and 298 pounds.
However, before the start of the 2025 season, Woods revealed that he had dropped significant weight, and while no official estimate was provided, it appeared that he had gone from in the range 0f up to 325 pounds in 2024 to just at or below 300 pounds when the 2025 season started.
The intent was likely to help with his explosion and overall athletic ability, as well as help him play the edge better, but when watching his tape from 2024 to 2025, the heavier player in 2024 takes the cake every time, literally.
During 2025, his weight loss helped him become a quicker player who was better adapted to play in a twist-and-move scheme.
Even when not making a direct impact with the pass rush, the added mobility allowed him to affect plays even when he was doubled off the snap.
With the slimmer mobile frame, Woods played like a disruptor, but his impact was felt less.
This might have been due to multiple factors, including double teams and offensive scheme, but when playing heavier in 2024, his impact on games was greater.
In 2024, Woods could play like a true 3-technique and make the plays needed to stuff runs. Despite his heavier weight, he still had elite burst off the ball and could create an impact on plays almost immediately.
With a stout frame and elite mobility, Woods looked the part of a big-time defensive tackle prospect, and ate up double teams like one would.
He also showed off pass-rush ability from the edge that a player of his weight should not have been able to pull off.
He even displayed a level of football IQ that most defensive linemen assigned to the edge rarely show.
When slimmer, Woods fits the mold fully as an interior disruptor, as a player who can win quickly off the ball, and this is exactly what the Chiefs are looking for.
However, when he plays at a heavier weight, he has the profile of a player who can not only be a disruptor, but one of the top-tier defensive line talents in the NFL.
The bottom line
Perhaps the biggest asset for Woods is his age.
Only turning 21 a month ago, he will have a season or two to figure out what kind of player he wants to be in the NFL and what role he will want to play for the Chiefs.
Given the NFL landscape in recent years, teams are looking to add as much defensive line talent as possible, even though it is often deployed in platoon situations.
Woods could easily become the Chiefs’ designated interior third-down pass rush specialist, and if that is the role he is looking to play, he is in a great spot to find the field as a rookie.
If he is looking for a larger role than that, his best bet is to seek guidance from the Chiefs’ current defensive linemen and coach Joe Cullen.
The Chiefs are in desperate need of a formidable interior defensive lineman to line up opposite Chris Jones, and Woods has a chance to be that player.
A player who can not only buff up against the run, but also explode into the backfield on obvious passing downs.
Woods has the tools, and when it comes to how much weight he should gain, bigger is better in the NFL.
