One Prospect the 49ers Must Avoid in the 2026 NFL Draft

The San Francisco 49ers have positioned themselves well to go in a lot of different directions in the 2026 NFL Draft. One player that seemed like a fit early into the draft season but no longer makes sense is Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods.

The San Francisco 49ers should avoid Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods in the 2026 NFL draft

Woods is currently ranked the 21st player on consensus mock draft boards, so he should theoretically be in play as the best player available if he fell to pick 27. Beyond that, San Francisco loves to build through the trenches, so it could make sense.

The issue is that while Woods flashed as a player who would have gone before pick 21 in 2024, he was not nearly as strong in 2025, which is why he is lower on these boards after the season than he was before it.

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His falling may be because holes in his game have been exposed. Woods is 6’2”, 298 pounds, and has 31 ¼” arm length. His height is in the 30th percentile for his position, his weight is in the 35th percentile and his arm length is in the 5th percentile. He is below average physically across the board, and his arm length is an extreme outlier. This shows up on video and has to do with why he was not as productive last season.

Calijah Kancey and Braden Fiske are the only notable successes in the NFL with arm length shorter than Woods. Milton Williams is slightly longer than Woods, but his are below 32”. The difference is that all three of them were elite athletes. Kancey had a 9.59 RAS score, Fiske was at 9.89, and Williams was 9.96. Meanwhile, Woods had a 7.45 RAS score, a slightly above average mark.

Even in the case of Kancey, the lack of arm length has held him back, despite his athletic potential. The best comparison for Woods is Timmy Jernigan, who fell into the second round and did not have the career in the NFL that many expected when he was coming out of college.

The San Francisco 49ers need has shrunk

Beyond that, with the team trading for Osa Odighizuwa, they still have a small need and could upgrade the depth at the position, but they do not need to put a high-value pick into the piece. Alfred Collins, Odighizwua, CJ West, and a later round rookie is all that they need.

Woods would have been a reach at pick 27, and will likely be gone by the 49ers' second pick. That may be okay for 49ers fans because this was a potential landmine that they dodged.