With the 2025 NFL season in the books and the 2026 NFL Draft order now locked in, ESPN draft analyst Field Yates released a new mock of this spring’s draft – how he sees the first round shaking out based on current team needs, his personal rankings and what he’s hearing from people around the league.
Yates’ 2026 mock draft projects only one Clemson player to be selected in the first round — defensive tackle Peter Woods.
Yates has Woods going to the Buffalo Bills with the 26th overall pick.
Yates described Woods as a “polarizing evaluation” for scouts.
“He’s an explosive, twitchy, powerful defensive tackle with natural disruption skills,” Yates wrote. “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 was credited with 99 tackles (14.5 for loss), five sacks, two forced fumbles and two pass breakups over 35 games (24 starts) in his Clemson career from 2023-25. Offensively, he also rushed eight times for 15 yards with two rushing touchdowns.
In 2025, he became Clemson’s first All-American at defensive tackle since Christian Wilkins’ unanimous selection in 2018, and he was the only player in America in 2025 to record multiple games with both a sack and a rushing touchdown. Woods was also a first-team All-ACC selection by the league, the AP and Phil Steele.
Woods, a former five-star recruit and the No. 4 overall prospect in the nation for the 2023 recruiting class per ESPN, earned freshman All-American honors in 2023.
Yates ranks Woods as the second-best defensive tackle in this year’s draft class, behind only Florida’s Caleb Banks.
The 2026 NFL Draft is set to take place from April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
