CLEMSON — One of this cycle’s more polarizing NFL draft prospects, Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods, did just about everything for pro scouts at the program’s pro day.
But it was the 30 yards he didn’t run on March 12 that raised some eyebrows.
Woods ran a 10-yard split but not the traditional 40-yard dash. The reason proved to an ACC Network Extra broadcast was a hamstring injury suffered recently in training.
The scouts’ consensus for Woods’ 10-yard split, according to Clemson, was 1.67 seconds, which would have ranked second among defensive tackles at the NFL Combine this year. Woods skipped workouts at the combine in Indianapolis in late February.
That means Woods, who has been rated as a potential top-15 pick by some NFL draftniks but sits in the low 30s with others, hasn’t logged a time in the much-hyped scouting sprint. He didn’t bench press, either, at Clemson’s pro day or the combine.
Woods did mostly everything else, though. He logged a 4.54-second time in the short shuttle and a 7.70 in the three-cone drill.
He also had a 29-inch vertical jump and an 8-foot, 8-inch broad jump.
According to the MockDraftable.com database, an average time for an interior defensive lineman is just under 7.7 seconds in the three-cone drill and 4.65 seconds in the short shuttle. But that also includes run-stuffers who are significantly larger than Woods, who has leaned himself to 6-foot-2, 302 pounds.
That hamstring injury probably factored into Woods’ results, because The Athletic college football reporter Bruce Feldman had the Tigers’ interior defender with a a 33-inch vertical this past offseason in his annual “Freaks List,” along with 4.86-second 40-yard dash.
Those measurables will be heavily scrutinized, but Woods and fellow defensive lineman T.J. Parker are mainly divisive as prospects because of a lack of production in 2025. That might be somewhat unfair to Woods, who was eating up double teams much of the year, but neither player was a dominant force for a 7-6 Clemson squad.
Parker, who had 19.5 tackles for loss as a sophomore, finished with 9.5 as a junior — and three of those came in the finale against South Carolina.
Woods followed 8.5 TFLs as a sophomore with 3.5 as a junior.
Neither played in Clemson’s Pinstripe Bowl loss to Penn State. Neither made themselves available to the media after their pro day workout.
Klubnik more ‘aggressive’ with pro day throws
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik was happy enough with his 4.67-second 40-yard dash on Thursday, especially considering he hadn’t participated in speed training until mid-February because his midseason ankle injury was still healing up.
The Texan believes his ability to make and extend plays with his legs could be an asset at the next level. Klubnik also had an interesting answer when he was asked if there’s an aspect of his game that’s being underrated by NFL scouts.
“I feel like I would have loved to continue to just push the ball downfield and be a little bit more aggressive,” Klubnik said, referring to what he put on film at Clemson. “I think that my ability to get the ball down field and really stretch the field and be accurate there is something that I was excited to go and put on tape today.”
That’s a notable comment, given Klubnik’s play caller for all three years as a starter, Garrett Riley, was fired after the season and was replaced by Chad Morris, who has promised to take more deep shots.
Klubnik was hyped by some as a Heisman hopeful and a potential No. 1 overall pick in the preseason, but the Tigers’ signal caller is looking more like a Day 3 selection after a difficult senior season.
He threw for 2,943 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions in 2025 following a junior campaign where he tossed for 3,639 yards, 36 scores, and six picks.
Klubnik attended the Shrine Bowl but did not play in the game, but he was able to throw at the combine and at pro day.
“A lot of people told me not to play in the bowl game, just due to my wrist injury, and I didn't wanna quit on my teammates,” Klubnik said. “I wanted to be there for them. I only got one more game left, so I want to continue to fight for them.”
Clemson O-linemen chasing pro ranks together
Tigers blocker Walker Parks figured his football career was over when his sixth season ended abruptly after yet another injury.
But it was senior offensive tackle Blake Miller, a potential first-round pick, who called up Parks and talked him into training for the draft. It was 10 p.m., Parks’ family had just found a new donut shop, and Parks was at home jokingly “taking care of business.”
“You can really do this,” Miller told Parks. “If you get healthy, you need to take your chance.”
After Parks set down the snacks, he went back to work.
It’s unclear what opportunities await an offensive lineman with a lengthy injury history, including arthritis in his ankle, but he had a decent showing in Thursday’s workout. Parks had 31 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press and ran a 40-yard dash in 5.11 seconds.
Ryan Linthicum isn’t a highly ranked draft prospect, either, but at least one NFL rep was there to watch him: Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, who came to support his longtime friend at pro day.
It was also the birthday of the late Ella Bresee, who died of brain cancer in 2022. Linthicum wore an “Ella Strong” tie during Clemson’s pregame Tiger Walk for the rest of his career, just to keep her memory alive.
“I had a special angel looking over me today,” Linthicum said. “I’m so blessed to carry her legacy on. For Bryan to be here on her birthday, such a surreal moment. I’m so blessed. God is great. He always is. So he gets all the glory.”