Steve Spagnuolo Shares Early Updates on Rookie D-Linemen Peter Woods and R Mason Thomas

The Kansas City Chiefs started their 2026 NFL Draft class with four consecutive defensive selections, providing a massive influx of young talent into defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's side of the ball. The team's second and third selections were both spent on the defensive line, bolstering KC's trenches.

After rookie minicamp and two rounds of organized team activities, what does Spagnuolo think of his rookie D-linemen?

With the No. 29 overall pick, the Chiefs selected Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods — the second-ranked defensive tackle in the KC Sports Network Draft Guide. Woods was performing like a potential top-five pick in the 2024 season before struggling to reach those same heights in 2025 on a floundering Clemson squad.

On Wednesday, Spagnuolo explained the specifics of how Woods has made a strong impression in the early days of his NFL career.

"I've been really, really impressed with Pete," Spagnuolo said. "Not only what he does on the field, but the way he carries himself in the hallways. I think I've said this to [the media] before: When you stand up in front of them in the unit meeting, you can see all the faces. I mean, you know whether they're in-tune, and he's, like, focused. And that's a good thing, especially for a lineman. It seems like he's got football get-it. I thought he made a couple of good plays [Wednesday], so we're hopeful for him."

Shortly after selecting Woods at the end of the first round, the Chiefs took Oklahoma Sooners edge defender R Mason Thomas with the No. 40 overall pick near the beginning of Round 2. Spagnuolo highlighted one dominant trait that flashed from Thomas' game.

"The thing that stuck out to [general manager] Brett [Veach], myself, [and] all the scouts was his get-off," Spagnuolo said. "He's got a little bit of juice to him, which I think any defense wants and needs that."

Spagnuolo went on to explain that the team relied on a surprising asset in the scouting process: new running backs coach DeMarco Murray, who coached at Oklahoma throughout Thomas' time at OU.

"What was really good was having insight from DeMarco Murray," Spagnuolo said. "Any time we're grabbing these guys from college and you don't have insight on [beyond] what you can see on film, I always think it's a little bit risky, but DeMarco was great in sharing what he thought about R Mason, and it all kind of became true."

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