Clemson football made more noise late in the first round Thursday night when defensive tackle Peter Woods came off the board. Kansas City used the No. 29 overall pick on him, giving the Tigers two first-round selections in this year’s 2026 NFL Draft and marking the first time the program has pulled that off since 2023.
The night started earlier with offensive tackle Blake Miller going No. 17 overall to Detroit, and Woods followed later to keep Clemson in the conversation. It was a strong showing for a program that continues to send talent to the next level, even while working through some inconsistency on the field in recent seasons.
Woods wraps up his Clemson career with a steady body of work across three seasons. He played in 35 games and recorded 99 total tackles, including 14.5 for loss, while adding five sacks, two forced fumbles and a pair of pass breakups. His 2025 season stood out the most, earning second-team All-American honors, something Clemson hadn’t seen from a defensive tackle since Christian Wilkins did it back in 2018.
He saved his most complete season for last. Woods started all 12 games in 2025, logged over 500 snaps and finished with 40 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Clemson also leaned on him in short-yardage offensive packages, where he carried the ball eight times, scored twice and consistently helped move the chains.
From the jump in 2023, Woods showed he could be a difference-maker, earning Freshman All-American recognition and building on that momentum each year. Now he heads to Kansas City as a first-round pick, adding another name to Clemson’s growing list of defensive linemen making the jump to the NFL.
PWoo ➡️ KCPeter Woods, welcome to the Kansas City @Chiefs!#ALLIN | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/sqxCkiQU6N
New @Chiefs DT Peter Woods' family had color coordinating outfits 🔥 pic.twitter.com/CeEcBEFdZ9
Peter Woods is going to Kansas City‼️The Chiefs trade up to select him at No. 29 overall 💪 pic.twitter.com/THB0Ti5YEi
Chiefs select Clemson DT Peter Woods with pick No. 29Woods teams up with Chris Jones in KC 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8ta7tPgj8U
Patrick Mahomes approves the Chiefs drafting Clemson DT Peter Woods 🤝 pic.twitter.com/205V4QPgJX
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. on evaluating Peter Woods, who went to the Chiefs at No. 29: "You flip on the tape and you say where is Peter Woods? Where is T.J. Parker?… I don’t know what happened, something affected this Clemson Tiger football team. They were an underachiever all year."
Going from Clemson to KC.With the 29th overall pick in the 2026 #NFLDraft, the Kansas City Chiefs select Clemson's Peter Woods. pic.twitter.com/DwKayOZbyt
Offenses Beware ⚠️Peter Woods x Chris Jones are coming to cause havoc pic.twitter.com/WW3FX1SFKC
— KC Sports Network (@KCSportsNetwork) April 24, 2026
The @Chiefs just got their Chris JONES protege in Peter Woods out of Clemson. FIRST-STEP QUICK DT with freak athleticism whonis explosive off the ball. Sound faniliar? His tape shows a power and quickness combo that can’t be taught. For him to take the next step he has to… pic.twitter.com/LAvrakkJ1q
Clemson star Peter Woods drafted in first round of 2026 NFL Draft📸 USA TODAY Sports https://t.co/83RYjOwUA3 pic.twitter.com/yMZ1D2OXVA
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Social media reactions to Peter Wood’s drafted first round NFL Draft