Clemson Tigers Star Predicted To Be First Defender off Board in NFL Mock Draft

The Clemson Tigers are expected to be one of the best teams in the country this fall during the 2025 college football season.

They are overflowing with talent up and down the roster, looking to build off of what was a bit of a shaky 2024 campaign. Clemson did win the ACC championship again and participated in the inaugural 12-team college football playoff, but it was far from their best performance.

One of the areas in which the team struggled at times was defensively.

Under head coach Dabo Swinney, the Tigers routinely have one of the most dominant defenses in the nation. That wasn’t the case in 2024, and major changes were made to the staff with Tom Allen being hired away from the Penn State Nittany Lions to take over as defensive coordinator for Wes Goodwin.

Allen is inheriting a unit that may have underwhelmed in 2024 but is poised for a massive bounce back in 2025.

This is a group loaded with talent at every level of the defense. Where they are going to shine brightest is in the trenches.

Clemson is going to be able to get after the quarterback relentlessly with NFL-caliber talent anchoring their defensive front.

One of the players who is worth keeping an eye on is star defensive tackle Peter Woods, who is poised to break out in Year 3 with the program.

As a freshman he played sparingly with 26 total tackles and three tackles for loss and one forced fumble.

But because of injuries to his teammates, he was forced to play out of position at times. Instead of playing defensive tackle, he would line up as a defensive end.

Back to his more natural position in 2024, his elite traits began to shine with more regularity.

He had 28 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and one forced fumble.

There are a lot of people who believe those numbers will be on the rise this fall with Woods announcing his presence as one of the most disruptive defenders in the game.

One of those people is Jordan Reid of ESPN, who released an early 2026 NFL Mock Draft recently and has pegged the Tigers star as the first defender off the board, landing with the Tennessee Titans with pick No. 3.

The only players selected ahead of him are his teammate, quarterback Cade Klubnik at No. 1 to the Cleveland Browns, and Alabama Crimson Tide offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor at No. 2 to the New York Giants.

“If I were making a way-too-early rankings board, Woods would have an argument to be at the top. At 6-3 and 315 pounds, he has a nonstop motor and wreaks havoc. He has excellent hand power to stack, shed and disrupt plays. Woods had three sacks last season on the interior, and his pass-rush upside would be welcomed in Tennessee,” Reid wrote.

A defensive tackle that can get after the quarterback in addition to stuffing the run game is a game-changer for a defense. Woods has that kind of ability and will be able to showcase it this fall given how much talent surrounds him on the defensive line.

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