Chiefs valued ‘explosive’ traits of 29th pick Peter Woods. Film review:

TL;DR

The Kansas City Chiefs selected Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods with the 29th pick in the first round. Chiefs' Vice President Ryne Nutt praised Woods for his explosive traits and speed off the ball.

Key points

Kansas City Chiefs drafted Peter Woods with the 29th pick
Woods is a defensive tackle from Clemson
Chiefs' Vice President Ryne Nutt praised Woods' explosiveness
Woods and R Mason Thomas are seen as explosive players
Woods has speed and power to outmaneuver offensive linemen

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Clemson Tigers

Kansas City ChiefsPeter WoodsR Mason Thomas

CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 18: Peter Woods #11 of the Clemson Tigers on the line against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Memorial Stadium on October 18, 2025 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images) | Getty Images

On Thursday, the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods with pick No. 29 in the first round.

After trading up to acquire the top defensive back in the draft, the Chiefs used the next two picks on pass rush, Woods, and defensive end R Mason Thomas from Oklahoma. On Monday, Chiefs’ Vice President of Player Personnel Ryne Nutt talked about the duo as a pair of explosive players.

“He’s explosive off the ball,” Nutt said of Woods. “When you’re explosive off the ball, you can reduce the space between you and an [offensive lineman], it gives you an advantage. Both play low; they have really good pad leverage, they’re really fast off the ball, and they’re explosive. Primarily, they’re speed-rush guys, but they have sneaky power where they can keep a tackle or a center or guard off-balance, that allows them to win quickly.

“We felt like both were extremely disruptive,” Nutt described. “Both had high motors. Both of those kinds of features in a player result in being disruptive at the NFL level.”

Woods has been a divisive prospect, with differing opinions on the 21-year-old’s game throughout draft coverage. At the start of the 2025 college season, some saw Woods as a potential top-10 selection, but as the season progressed, he slipped in the rankings due to inconsistent play.

A mediocre athletic testing period across the NFL Scouting Combine and his Pro Day led some to believe he could fall out of the first round, but the Chiefs were not deterred and made the selection.

Despite some red flags, Woods is the explosive, disruptive player the Chiefs coveted. If he can put it all together, he has All-Pro potential. Let’s look at the film:

A look at the film

Woods is entering the NFL at a height of 6 feet 2 inches and 298 pounds.

However, before the start of the 2025 season, Woods revealed that he had dropped significant weight, and while no official estimate was provided, it appeared that he had gone from in the range 0f up to 325 pounds in 2024 to just at or below 300 pounds when the 2025 season started.