How Clemson Tigers Replace Peter Woods After Being Drafted By Kansas City Chiefs

The NFL Draft is fully underway, and Clemson football saw one of its best defensive players hear his name called within the first round on Thursday.

Defensive tackle Peter Woods was drafted with the No. 29 pick in the first round, being selected by the Kansas City Chiefs. While the three-year starter heads to the franchise, the Tigers will have big shoes to fill on the defensive side of the ball.

It’s been expected for Woods to get his name called on the first day, having received high praise since his time in Alabaster, Alabama. He was a consensus five-star recruit in the class of 2023, being the No. 15 player and the No. 2 defensive lineman from the cycle, according to Rivals. He chose the Tigers over schools like Alabama, Auburn and Georgia in the summer of 2022.

From there, the lineman always caught plenty of eyes from opposing offenses, even as a freshman. He finished his Clemson career with 84 total tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and two forced fumbles across 35 games in three seasons. Woods started in 24 of those contests.

The accolades speak for themselves, even while being double teamed throughout college. He earned a Freshman All-American honor in 2023 and was a Second Team All-American this past season as a defensive tackle. That’s the first time a Clemson Tigers has been named an All-American at that position since Christian Wilkins eight years ago.

Woods leaves the position group with plenty who could fill the role that he had with the Tigers, despite being one of the best talents that head coach Dabo Swinney has ever had. He does leave with redshirt senior DeMonte Capehart, meaning two starters will be gone from last year' defense.

So, who fills that role?

The frontrunners are Oklahoma transfer Markus Strong and redshirt junior Vic Burley. Strong brings experience from a Sooner squad that made the College Football Playoff a season ago, while Burley is a former five-star recruit who will look to break through the depth chart this summer.

Burley also had 2.5 sacks in the Tigers’ spring game last March, being a standout on Tom Allen’s defense in the early part of the 2026 season. He could be a strong summer away from being a starter in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to begin the season.

Former five-star sophomore Amare Adams is another name to watch, recording five total tackles while receiving high praise throughout his time with the Tigers. Similar to Burley, the Jefferson, South Carolina, native could be a threat to take the spot.

Clemson has the quality to replenish Woods’s position, having promising talent while blending transfers who have played at the biggest stages. If that group is able to put it all together, Allen’s defense will be a threat in the ACC next season.

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