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Clemson DT Peter Woods.
The Buffalo Bills face several important decisions this offseason, including how to strengthen their defense.
Buffalo has several gaps across its defense, and a great way to address them is through the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Bills currently hold the No. 26 pick in the first round, which could be an excellent opportunity for a defensive player to land in their lap.
Bills Could Draft Peter Woods
ESPN’s Field Yates published a mock draft on Wednesday, featuring the Bills selecting Clemson’s defensive tackle Peter Woods in the first round.
“Woods is a polarizing evaluation for scouts. He’s an explosive, twitchy, powerful defensive tackle with natural disruption skills,” Yates wrote. “But there’s a worry about his shorter frame/arms, and his skill set did not often lead to production (only five sacks in three college seasons). I’ll bet on the athletic upside of Woods, who occasionally played fullback — he even scored a touchdown against Boston College last season. He’s an urgent and sudden player who can impact both a pass rush and run defense. The Bills need a ton of the latter after allowing the third-most yards per rush in 2025 (5.1).”
Woods played three seasons at Clemson, earning a starting role each year. Over the course of 35 games, he recorded a total of 84 tackles and 14.5 sacks. Heading into the 2025 season, Woods was regarded as one of the top defensive players in college football, particularly after a standout performance in 2024, where he tallied 8.5 sacks. However, the season didn’t go as he had hoped, as he ended up with only 3.5 sacks.
The Bills could find great value in a player who many viewed as a top 10 pick heading into the season.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler recently published his top 100 players for the NFL Draft, ranking Woods as the No. 33 overall prospect.
“Woods moves with big-man twitch and the foot quickness to elude blocks in tight quarters. However, for a player with his explosive traits, he doesn’t have many quick wins on his tape and needs to learn how to diversify his rush approach,” Brugler wrote on Tuesday. “His motor and scheme flexibility are floor-raising qualities.”
Buffalo Could Use Woods to get After Opposing QBs With Only Four Pass Rushers
If the Bills can significantly improve their interior defensive line, their defense will be able to pressure quarterbacks by only sending four pass rushers. The top teams in the NFL over the past few seasons have demonstrated that success often comes from disrupting opposing quarterbacks without committing more than four players to the rush.
One quarterback the Bills have struggled to overcome in the playoffs is Patrick Mahomes from the Kansas City Chiefs. However, during last year’s Super Bowl, the Eagles figured out a way to pressure Mahomes by sending four pass rushers and didn’t even need to blitz.
The Eagles put pressure on Mahomes, sacking him six times and securing a decisive 40-22 victory. Although the Chiefs missed the playoffs this season and Mahomes suffered a torn ACL, they have a solid chance of making a comeback soon. The Bills will need to find a way to get past them if they want to reach the Super Bowl.
Danny Fisher Is a football journalist covering the Buffalo Bills for Heavy.com. He has covered the NFL for Gridiron Heroics, focusing on the AFC and Penn State football for Nittany Central. More about Danny Fisher
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