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Clemson 2026 NFL Draft Central

Clemson 2026 NFL Draft CentralClemson 2026 NFL Draft Central
Clemson Football 2026 NFL Draft
OT Blake Miller Round 1, No. 17 Overall (Detroit Lions)
Clemson Football 2026 NFL Draft
DT Peter Woods Round 1, No. 29 Overall (Kansas City Chiefs)
Clemson Football 2026 NFL Draft
Blake Miller
Blake MillerDetroit Lions

Round 1, No. 17 Overall

Peter Woods
Peter WoodsKansas City Chiefs

Round 1, No. 29 Overall

MILLER & WOODS HEADLINE CLEMSON'S 2026 NFL DRAFT CLASS

CLEMSON, S.C. — Offensive tackle Blake Miller and defensive tackle Peter Woods kicked off Clemson’s 2026 NFL Draft class in the first round of the NFL’s annual selection meeting on Thursday. The Detroit Lions selected Miller with the No. 17 overall selection, and the Kansas City Chiefs added Woods with the No. 29 overall selection.
The 2026 NFL Draft marks the ninth time that Clemson has produced multiple first-round picks in a single draft. The school record of three was set in 2019, and the 2026 haul ties the 1979, 1982, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2023 drafts (two each) for second in school annals. The second of the two first-round picks represented the 20th of the head coaching tenure of Dabo Swinney, who stands alongside Kirby Smart as one of two active coaches with at least 20 first-round picks to their credit.
Miller was a mainstay on Clemson’s offensive line for the last four seasons, breaking the Clemson record for career snaps from scrimmage by playing 3,778 offensive snaps over 54 career games (all starts) from 2022-25. The three-time All-ACC selection started every game Clemson played in his entire four-year career and set the Clemson record for consecutive starts by a non-specialist with 54.
Miller became Clemson's highest-selected offensive lineman since 1960, when Lou Cordileone was selected by the New York Giants with the No. 12 overall pick and Harold Olson was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with the No. 13 overall pick.
“Blake Miller is one of one,” Head Coach Dabo Swinney said, the full comments of which are included below. “I’ve never really had one like him. On the offensive line, I've had second-rounders, third-rounders, fourth-rounders, every round you can think, but he's my first first-round offensive lineman, and, boy, is he worthy.”
Woods enters the NFL ranks after earning All-America recognition for his junior campaign in 2025. He was Clemson’s first AP All-American at defensive tackle since Christian Wilkins in 2018, and he finished his Clemson career with 99 tackles (14.5 for loss), 5.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, two pass breakups over 35 games (24 starts) from 2023-25. He also scored two rushing touchdowns as a contributor on offense.
“[Peter] has just got a unique skill set that's hard to find. He's powerful, he's fast, he's twitchy, he's unbelievably strong, he's smart. This kid's a winner,” Swinney added among his comments. “Honestly, he's probably a guy that could have made a team two years ago, so he's going to fit right in day one and will be ready to compete.”
Clemson has now had at least one player selected in the NFL Draft in 24 consecutive years, tying the school record set across the 1951-74 NFL Drafts, all of which featured between 17 and 30 rounds. Clemson has produced at least one first-round pick in 11 of the last 14 NFL Drafts. Clemson is one of seven programs that can boast a first-round pick in double-digit drafts in that span, alongside Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, LSU, Florida and Oregon.
The 2026 NFL Draft will resume at 7 p.m. ET on Friday with Rounds 2-3. Notes and comments from Clemson coaches following each selection will be posted on ClemsonTigers.com Draft Central as soon as they are available.
Full statements on Thursday’s selections from Swinney and the players’ respective position coaches are included below.
CLEMSON COACHES ON BLAKE MILLER

CLEMSON COACHES ON BLAKE MILLER

CLEMSON HEAD COACH DABO SWINNEY ON BLAKE MILLER: "Blake Miller is one of one. I've never really had one like him. On the offensive line, I've had second-rounders, third-rounders, fourth-rounders, every round you can think, but he's my first first-round offensive lineman, and, boy, is he worthy. He is big, he's strong, he's athletic, he's a leader, and he's one of the most committed guys I've ever coached. He's a finisher. He was a captain for us. This guy started every game of his entire career from being a true freshman all the way through his senior year. He only missed two practices in his whole career, never missed a game. So, man, I think he's got day one ability. I think he walks in and he helps their football team the day he gets there."

CLEMSON OFFENSIVE LINE COACH MATT LUKE ON BLAKE MILLER: "They're getting a true professional in every sense. He consistently takes care of his business from his physical preparation and nutrition to his approach to the game. His durability and commitment are unmatched, having played in 54 consecutive games without missing one, and missing only two practices over four years. Blake is an exceptional person and an outstanding player, making him a very low-risk addition. He will be a leader both in the locker room and in the community. He's an all-around high-character individual and competitor.”

CLEMSON COACHES ON PETER WOODS

CLEMSON COACHES ON PETER WOODS

CLEMSON HEAD COACH DABO SWINNEY ON PETER WOODS: "Peter Woods is just unique. I haven't had many guys like him. He's just got a unique skill set that's hard to find. He's powerful, he's fast, he's twitchy, he's unbelievably strong, he's smart. This kid's a winner. He's a four-time high school state champion that played in five state championships in a row. He started at one of the best schools in Alabama as a high school player in eighth grade. He's a guy that has great readiness to come in and be a pro. Honestly, he's probably a guy that could have made a team two years ago, so he's going to fit right in day one and will be ready to compete. He learns the game easily. It's hard to find guys that have his uniqueness. He really will be different from probably anybody else that's in the room with him. He played all the special teams for us his whole career, played offense for us, and he's also a graduate in three years, which shows you his maturity, his ability to manage his time and to achieve a goal that he set forward."

CLEMSON DEFENSIVE TACKLES COACH NICK EASON ON PETER WOODS: “They are getting a highly talented football player who is still on the rise. He has football intelligence that’s rare. He is a very unselfish football player who provides position flexibility on the D-Line and even as a RB/H-back on the offensive side of the ball."

DRAFT NOTES

NOTES ON CLEMSON’S 2026 NFL DRAFT:

  • Clemson has now had at least one player selected in 24 consecutive drafts since 2003, tying the school record set across the 1951-74 NFL Drafts. Every year in the current streak has come during a seven-round format; the streak from 1951-74 featured between 17 and 30 rounds.
  • The 2026 NFL Draft marked the ninth time that Clemson has produced multiple first-round picks in a single draft. The school record of three was set in 2019, and the 2026 haul ties the 1979, 1982, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2023 drafts (two each) for second in school annals. 
  • Clemson has now had at least one first-round draft choice in 11 of the last 14 years, standing alongside Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Ohio State as the only programs to produce a first-round pick in at least 11 of the last 14 years.
  • Since 2013, Clemson has produced at least one first-round pick from each of the QB, RB, WR, OL, DE, DT, LB and DB position groups. The only other schools with at least one first-rounder at all those positions in that span are Alabama and Ohio State.
  • Clemson entered the 2026 NFL Draft as one of only six schools to have produced multiple draft picks in each of the previous 23 NFL Drafts (LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Ohio State and USC). Clemson extended that streak to 24 years in the first 29 picks of this year’s draft.
  • With his 19th and 20th first-round selections of Dabo Swinney's head coaching tenure, Swinney and Kirby Smart are now the only active coaches in the nation to have produced 20 or more first-round draft picks in their head coaching careers.

NOTES ON THE SELECTION OF BLAKE MILLER:

  • Miller became the 87th NFL Draft selection in Dabo Swinney’s head coaching tenure (plus an additional Supplemental Draft selection) and the 19th first-round pick of his tenure.
  • Miller became the highest-selected Clemson offensive lineman in the Common Draft era (since 1967), surpassing guard Dave Thompson’s selection by the Detroit Lions with the No. 30 overall selection of the 1971 NFL Draft, a slot that would be in the first round in current day but represented the fourth pick of the second round during that 26-team era.
  • Miller became the highest-selected Clemson offensive lineman of any era since 1960 when Lou Cordileone was selected by the New York Giants with the No. 12 overall pick and Harold Olson was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with the No. 13 overall pick.
  • Miller became the first Clemson offensive lineman selected in the first round in Swinney’s tenure.
  • Miller became the seventh Clemson player selected by the Lions all-time, joining E Joe Blalock (1942), E Dreher Gaskin (1953), T Dick Marazza (1956), G Dave Thompson (1971), LB Jonathan Brooks (1979) and DE Austin Bryant (2019).
  • Miller becomes the first offensive lineman selected by the Lions in the first round since 2021, when Detroit selected four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro selection Penei Sewell.
  • Miller became the second Clemson player selected with the No. 17 overall pick all-time, joining DT Dexter Lawrence (2019). Entering 2026, Lawrence is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro.
  • Miller was selected at the same overall pick (No. 17) as four Pro Football Hall of Famers: DB Mel Renfro, G Gene Upshaw, RB Emmitt Smith and G Steve Hutchinson.
  • As Clemson’s first selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, Miller’s selection snapped a four-year streak in which Clemson’s first pick of each draft was a defensive player. His selection marks the third time in the last 12 drafts that an offensive player was Clemson’s first selection of a draft. He joins RB C.J. Spiller (2010), WR DeAndre Hopkins (2013), WR Sammy Watkins (2014), WR Mike Williams (2017) and QB Trevor Lawrence (2021) as one of six offensive players to be Clemson’s first pick in a draft in Swinney’s tenure.

NOTES ON THE SELECTION OF PETER WOODS:

  • Woods became the 88th NFL Draft selection in Dabo Swinney’s head coaching tenure (plus an additional Supplemental Draft selection) and the 20th first-round pick of his tenure.
  • Woods became the eighth Clemson defensive tackle selected in the first round all-time but the fourth since 2019. He joins Jim Stuckey (1980), Jeff Bryant (1982), William Perry (1985), Chester McGlockton (1992), Christian Wilkins (2019), Dexter Lawrence (2019) and Bryan Bresee (2023) among Clemson first-round defensive tackles.
  • Woods became the highest Clemson defensive tackle selected since Bryan Bresee was picked by the New Orleans Saints with an identical No. 29 overall selection in 2023. Woods and Bresee represent Clemson’s only two selections at No. 29 in school history.
  • Woods became the 12th Clemson defensive tackle of the Dabo Swinney era to be selected in the NFL Draft, including Dorell Scott (2009), Jarvis Jenkins (2011), Brandon Thompson (2012), Grady Jarrett (2015), D.J. Reader (2016), Carlos Watkins (2017), Christian Wilkins (2019), Dexter Lawrence (2019), Bryan Bresee (2023), Ruke Orhorhoro (2024) and Tyler Davis (2024). Swinney has produced more NFL Draft picks at defensive tackle than any other active head coach and trails only Nick Saban among all coaches — active or inactive — since the 2009 NFL Draft.
  • Woods became the seventh Clemson player selected by the Chiefs all-time, joining RB Jay Washington (1974), QB Steve Fuller (1979), WR Stan Rome (1979), T Barry Richardson (2008), LB Dorian O’Daniel (2018) and WR Cornell Powell (2021).
  • Woods became the first interior defensive lineman selected by the Chiefs in the first round of a draft since Kansas City selected two-time Pro Bowler Dontari Poe with the No. 11 overall pick in 2012.
  • Woods became the 26th member of Clemson’s defensive front seven to be drafted since the 2015 NFL Draft.

#ICYMI

2026 NFL DRAFT DETAILS

WHAT: 91st Annual National Football League Player Selection Meeting

WHERE: Pittsburgh, Pa.

WHEN: 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 23 (Round 1); 7 p.m. ET on Friday, April 24 (Rounds 2-3); Noon ET on Saturday, April 25 (Rounds 4-7)

TIMING: Round 1: 8 minutes per selection. Round 2: Seven minutes per selection. Rounds 3 through 6, including compensatory picks: Five minutes per selection. Round 7, including compensatory picks: Four minutes per selection.

TV & RADIO: The 2026 NFL Draft will be televised nationally by NFL Network, ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes, and can be heard nationwide on Westwood One Radio, SiriusXM NFL Radio and ESPN Radio.

CLEMSON PROSPECTS: All Clemson draft prospects are expected to watch the 2026 NFL Draft from private watch parties in their respective locations.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Click here