One prospect who has seen a yo-yo effect in their draft projection is Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods. At the start of the 2025 season, Woods looked like a potential high first-round pick. After a season without a big stat line, Woods was seeing mid-to-late first-round projections, and some even had him on day two. However, NFL teams were not dropping him as he was still getting starter/first-round grades. In speaking to multiple team sources, they like Woods and think he will go in the top-20. One source said Woods reminded him of Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy coming out of Texas.
“He’s very similar to Byron Murphy,” said an NFC director of player personnel. “He has a similar athletic profile. Twitchy, quick, disruptive. We really like him.”
In 2024, Woods had three sacks and 26 tackles. Perhaps the expectations of him expanding on those numbers led to a mistaken impression, as Woods stayed consistent with 30 tackles and two sacks in his final season with the Tigers. Sources from multiple teams think Woods will go in the top 20 and that is the range I have him going in my latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft.
