Chiefs Select Clemson DT Peter Woods with No. 29 Overall Pick

The Kansas City Chiefs have double-dipped on defense in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, adding Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods at No. 29.

Clemson defensive lineman Peter Woods (11) during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. Saturday, September 6, 2025. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs have made their second selection in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and the team has double-dipped on defense.

With the No. 29 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods.

Woods joins a defensive tackle group that still revolves around 31-year-old superstar Chris Jones, giving Woods an opportunity to grow alongside one of the game's all-time interior pass rushers.

The Chiefs' defensive tackle group was also bolstered in free agency by former New England Patriot Khyiris Tonga. With 2025 second-round pick Omarr Norman-Lott returning from a torn ACL that cost him the majority of his rookie season, the Chiefs' defensive tackle group feels significantly sturdier with Woods, both for the short-term and the long-term.

Woods is the No. 2 defensive tackle in the KC Sports Network Draft Guide after a dominant 2024 season and an comparatively underwhelming 2025. Having just turned 21 years old in March, Woods can work with Jones and defensive line coach Joe Cullen to bring his impressive physical tools to the NFL level.

Even after taking two defenders in the first round, including a trade up
to select LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane with the No. 6 overall pick, the Chiefs' defensive end group remains thin.

Kansas City's key edge defenders are 2022 first-round pick George Karlaftis as Kansas City's consistent starter and 2026 third-rounder Ashton Gillotte as the next man up in the rotation. The Chiefs' first-round pick in 2023, defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah, will have an opportunity to bounce back in 2026 after missing all of last season due to a hamstring injury.

There was a flurry of trades in the late-20s ahead of the Chiefs' slot at No. 29, with the New England Patriots jumping from No. 31 to 28 to select Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu one pick ahead of KC.

For Day 2 of the draft, the Chiefs are currently scheduled to make just one selection, No. 40 overall early in the second round. Kansas City's remaining picks come on Day 3 at No. 109, 169, 176 and 210.

This story is being updated.