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Peter Woods Named Best Interior Pass Rusher of 2026 NFL Draft, but Bears Should Pass

The Bears have an opportunity to add some serious pass rush juice in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft, but should they do it?
Pete Martuneac|
Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Despite a successful 2025 season that saw the Chicago Bears claim a triumphant Wild Card victory over the Green Bay Packers, they still have a long way to go to reach their goal of winning a Super Bowl. Indeed, if quarterback Caleb Williams spoke for the entire team when he doubled down on winning multiple Super Bowls, then the Bears need to have another homerun class from the upcoming 2026 NFL draft, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

For the first time in many years, the offense carried the Bears to success in 2025 while the defense lagged far behind. A mixed bag of depth signings in free agency, aside from a blockbuster $40 million agreement with safety Coby Bryant, did little to assuage any concerns that the Bears' defense will hold them back in the postseason. Luckily, the 2026 NFL draft features some intriguing likely first-round defenders, and one name has been frequently linked to the Bears in mock drafts, Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods.

Woods would fill a major need for the Bears with the No. 25 pick. Not only have they been one of the worst defenses against the run for the last two years, but their interior pass rush poses almost no threat at all to opposing quarterbacks. Woods' numbers in 2025 took a bit of a dip, but that was more a product of Clemson's team-wide implosion than any personal regression from Woods. He's built a reputation as a powerful athlete who tears through double teams, and now he's earned a specific distinction from ESPN's NFL analyst Matt Bowen with just 10 days to go before the draft.

In ranking the best NFL draft prospects based on specific skills and traits, Bowen named Woods the "Best Interior Pass Rusher" in this year's draft. "Woods didn't have high-end statistical production (five sacks over the past two seasons), but flashes the traits to develop as an interior disruptor," Bowen writes. "He has the foot quickness and vertical burst to attack the A and B gaps."

Not everyone is sold on Peter Woods

If there was a universal consensus that Woods would be a dominant defensive tackle, he wouldn't even be available for the Bears at No. 25. But he likely will be, in part because there are genuine concerns about how he'll fare in the NFL. Draft analyst Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports has Peter Woods taking a steep fall down his big board. Woods got even more bad news ahead of the 2026 NFL draft as NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks declared that they don't even have a first-round grade on Woods. Though, to be fair, they didn't feel that any of this year's defensive tackles are a surefire first-rounder.

There are other ways to add a dominant DT outside of the draft

The problem for the Bears is that even if Woods isn't great value at No. 25, he almost certainly will be gone by the next time they're on the clock. There are inconsistencies in Woods' game to be sure, and it may take him a year or two before he hits his stride. Still, he has arguably the highest ceiling of any defensive tackle in this year's draft class, even earning comparisons to the great Aaron Donald.

That kind of potential is hard to pass on, especially for a team like the Bears, who badly need a disruptive force in the interior of their defensive line. However, the NFL draft is always a crapshoot, and even the best-looking prospects can bust. If the Bears want to build a championship-caliber defense, they can do it right now.

Instead of spending a first-round pick on Woods and hoping he develops into a dominant player, they should send that pick, and a little bit extra, to the New York Giants to acquire DT Dexter Lawrence in a trade. It would squeeze their salary cap situation, but for at least the next three years, Chicago would have a championship-caliber defense to pair with their budding young superstar at quarterback.

The Bottom Line

I don't think Woods will be a draft bust, but I'm more on the side of those analysts who have Woods farther down their big boards. I think that drafting him at No. 25 would be a major reach for the Bears. They could send that pick and possibly next year's first-round pick to the Giants and acquire a proven game-wrecker, but that's not part of Ryan Poles' M.O.

I think the Bears would be best served by drafting the best defender available at No. 25, whether that's Woods or not, and continuing to build through the draft. It might not be the most exciting draft strategy, but it's been working.

Peter Wood
Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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