Here's Who Newest Chiefs Defensive Tackle Peter Woods Has Drawn Comparisons To

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Defensive tackle Peter Woods looks forward to joining the Chiefs and he arrives with lofty comparisons from NFL draft pundits.

Try one of the NFL’s all-time best defensive tackles in Aaron Donald, to be specific.

While being mentioned in the same sentence as Donald provides high praise, especially when considering Woods has yet to play an NFL down, the Chiefs’ second of two first-round picks (29th overall) embraces the association.

“He’s my favorite player that’s ever played the game,” Woods said Thursday night during a Zoom teleconference with the Chiefs media corps. “So, it would be crazy for me. I model my game after him.”

Woods added he admired the way Dallas Cowboys’ Quinnen Williams and Tennessee Titans’ Jeffrey Simmons play the defensive tackle position.

But he’s also aware there’s an opportunity in Kansas City to learn from and play alongside another member of the NFL’s top defensive tackles: Chris Jones.

“I think that I’d be crazy to think that I can come into the league that I’ve never played in and think I know everything,” Woods said. “I think that I got to have talent, the mindset, I have the leadership skills, the capabilities to come in and make an impact weekly.

“But we’re talking about a Hall of Famer, a future Hall of Famer, so I’m going to be a sponge from the moment I step into the door.”

The 6-foot-2, 298-pound Woods spent three years at Clemson, appearing in 35 games and totaling 84 tackles and five sacks before declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft. Woods, who can play the 3-technique defensive tackle position, garnered 2025 first-team All-ACC honors.

Woods’ arrival represents the second straight year that the Chiefs have invested a high draft pick on a defensive tackle, following in the heels of 2025 second-round pick Omarr Norman-Lott.

The rookie now joins Norman-Lott, Jones and Khyiris Tonga as the Chiefs’ top defensive tackles on the current roster.

And when it came to his selection at No. 29, Woods felt it would be him the whole time because of his predraft interactions with the Chiefs.

“The Chiefs were talking to me the whole draft process,” he said. “I talked to them (and) they were showing interest from the very beginning, so this was something that didn’t really come as a surprise.

“It’s more of a blessing. When it came pick 29, I felt it. I mean, I knew it was going to be me.”

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