Peter Woods — 2026 NFL Mock Draft Roundup 3.0

There will be plenty of buzz about picking a QB or WR here, but in this iteration, they look to replicate the waves of defensive linemen we've seen from Super Bowl-winning teams in recent years.

The Vikings have enough positional needs to approach this pick from a best-available perspective. Woods is a fascinating prospect. Brugler ranked him as the No. 1 draftable prospect entering the 2025 season. The interior defender had been dominant the previous two seasons. Then, in 2025, his production dipped. Woods recorded only three sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss. Clemson's defense struggled in its entirety. Questions persist regarding his overall length, but the athleticism is undeniable. Woods moves laterally like a much smaller player than one who is 6-3, 310 pounds. His hands are violent. Plug him into the Vikings' defensive system alongside Jalen Redmond, and it's difficult not to envision some serious havoc.

I'm not as high on Peter Woods as the industry consensus. He does possess a rare combination of power and athleticism that causes scouts to drool, but I worry about his length and how it will translate to the next level. I'd also like to see him showcase it more often. There are too many snaps where he looks ordinary.

Teams seem to be all over the map on how they rank this year's defensive tackles. Woods probably is the most explosive of the group and brings some juice on the interior.

Woods is a polarizing evaluation for scouts. He's an explosive, twitchy, powerful defensive tackle with natural disruption skills. But there's a worry about his shorter frame/arms, and his skill set did not often lead to production (only five sacks in three college seasons). I'll bet on the athletic upside of Woods, who occasionally played fullback -- he even scored a touchdown against Boston College last season. He's an urgent and sudden player who can impact both a pass rush and run defense. The Bills need a ton of the latter after allowing the third-most yards per rush in 2025 (5.1).

Woods could go much higher than this, or much lower. His flashes are as good as any defensive player in this draft class, but he had a maddeningly inconsistent year on an underwhelming Clemson team. The Panthers need to continue to add needle-movers to their defense and if Woods reaches his ceiling, the Panthers could have a monster front with Woods and Derrick Brown. Carolina has also had recent success with another defensive draft faller coming off an inconsistent final collegiate season in 2025 second-round pick Nic Scourton.