Defensive Tackle Peter Woods “Soft” on 2025 Game Film

Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods was not what I was hoping he was going to be on his 2025 game film.

I put a first-round grade on his 2024 game film, and based on that, I had high hopes as an evaluator, but those hopes turned to disappointment.

Woods is exactly why I try my darnest to evaluate two full seasons of game film before the clock strikes draft day. Two full seasons of film work provide a big picture perspective of a prospect’s traits, tendencies, and patterns. Afterall, it’s not just about “traits,” it’s about those traits consistently showing up on game film.

If I were sitting in an NFL team’s war room and going through pre-draft college scouting meetings, and I was called upon to voice my opinion on Woods, I would start by saying, “Woods looked soft.”

Soft?

What do you mean by soft?

Sure, he still flashed some of the stuff I fell in love with on his 2024 game film, but he only flashed that dominance once in a blue moon.

This fact must be accounted for in his valuation.

Tell me more about what he looked like on his 2025 game film

Most of the time ⎯

Woods looked uninterested.

He’s a gap shooter by trade, but he just didn’t get into gaps enough to make much of a difference this season. He wasn’t getting a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

I’m not making this stuff up either.

What was his pass-rushing production in 11 games this season?

Per Pro Football Focus (PFF)

• 14 pressures
• 3 sacks

How about his pass-rushing grade?

PFF dropped that from 74.0 in 2024 to 65.4 in 2025.

How about his run defense grade?

PFF dropped that from 81.3 in 2024 to 74.2 in 2025.

How about his tackling grade?

PFF dropped that from 61.8 in 2024 to 55.4 in 2025.

How about his overall defensive grade?

PFF dropped that from 83.7 in 2024 to 72.1 in 2025.

Okay, goodie, I’m not the only one seeing his decline across the boards.

That’s exactly the way it looked on his game film.

Lack of creativity and fight

• Swim move (6x)
• Spin (3x)

That’s it.

In 11 games, that’s it.

😳

That’s all the pass-rush moves he showed this past season. His pass-rushing lacked imagination and creativity. It was just the same, no-frills, easy-to-predict thing over and over and over again.

Granted, because of his natural raw power and strength, he drew 71 double-team pass blocks that I charted in my notes, but that was nothing really to write home about. I respect it, and it’s all part of his valuation, but it didn’t look elite on tape.

That’s because he just didn’t have a lot of fight in him in 2025.

He got pushed around and moved off the ball WAY TOO EASILY.

NFL projection 📉

Defensive tackle is one of the hardest positions for prospects to make the jump from college to the NFL to begin with ⎯

Trending in the wrong direction heading into the 2026 NFL Draft on game film is a double whammy.

I believe the only hope with Woods is to let him fall in the draft and hope it lights the fire in him again.

He’s in there somewhere.

#11 Peter Woods 6-foot-3, 315 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Final 2026 NFL Draft Grade: Fourth-Round (I wouldn’t select him)

Projected by NFL Mock Draft Database to be a First Round prospect as of February 25, 2026

Peter Woods Proves to be a Real Handful (2024: 11 games evaluated)

2025 game film evaluated: LSU, Troy, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Boston College, SMU, Duke, FSU, Louisville, Furman, and South Carolina (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Underwhelming. Lacks motivation. Sluggish. Strong frame. Flashes the ability to lock out at the point. Good short-area close. Excels at chasing down running back screens. Impressive lateral speed. Saw some action on offense in short-yardage situations. Even took a snap in the Wildcat. Inconsistent shed vs. run. Ended up around the run tackle pile 103 times in my notes.

Final words

Peter Woods is off my draft board.

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. Featured in USA Today. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.