Welcome back to The McShay Report! Today, we’re going to be talking Clemson football and diving into some of my scouting notes on its top defenders, three of whom I’ve assigned grades and project to be early-round picks in the 2026 NFL draft.
In next week’s newsletter, I’ll be answering a handful of questions from our first offseason mailbag for premium subscribers. I’m going to get to as many questions as possible, but know that even if your question isn’t selected, it’s helped inform our process to give you guys the best draft content out there.
All right, let’s dive in.
Getty Images/Ringer illustration
IDL Peter Woods
Grade: 95. An elite prospect in the top tier of the 2026 class.
Draft Projection: Top five or 10 pick
Measurables: 6-foot-3, 315 pounds
Plays all along line of scrimmage. 3-techinque, 1-tech, SU EDGE, etc. Had 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks across 11 games in 2024.
Shouldn’t move as well and suddenly as he does at his size.
Lightning-quick hands.
Damn-good body lean as a rusher. Then swipes and rips to work through.
Feet are as quick as hands.
Plays his ass off.
At times loses gap discipline. Peeks in the backfield and leaves the front vulnerable.
Preseason Status
Woods is a one-gap penetrating 3-technique along the interior, but what makes him rare is his legitimate outside pass-rushing ability. He will provide great flexibility along a multiple front and at this point looks like one of the four or five best prospects in the 2026 draft class.
Edge T.J. Parker
Grade: 93 (and rising). Also in the top tier.
Draft Projection: Top five or 10 pick
Measurables: 6-foot-3, 265 pounds
Sixth on the team with 57 tackles in 2024. Registered 19.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.
POWER! LOVE THIS GUY’s TRAITS. POWER TRANSLATES TO NFL PASS RUSH!!!
He’s got speed-to-power. SAW DOMINATING FLASHES OF POWER against UGA and FSU.
Good striking power.
Appears (on tape) to have long arms to stand offensive linemen up and the striking power to get them on their heels.
Really like his push-pull when he uses it. Very effective because his power strikes fear in the OL (so he can use OL leverage against them).
Lacks ideal twitch but is a relatively smooth athlete with plus closing burst.
Is gap-responsible. Handles assignments. Sets a hard edge and does an active job locating. Disengages pretty quickly.
Preseason Status
Really excited to see his next step this year. Some refined pass-rushing moves (more consistency with tying hands with feet and having a pass-rush plan) and another offseason in the weight room should make him a full-time problem for opposing offensive lines. His flashes as a 3-technique on some obvious pass downs were intriguing, too. Parker has the potential to develop into a top five or 10 pick in 2026.
CB Avieon Terrell
Grade: 81
Draft Projection: Day 2
Measurables: 5-foot-11, 180 pounds
Was sixth on the team with 58 tackles in 2024. Also registered 12 PBU and two INTs.
Really good job in off-coverage of reading receivers’ routes and getting an early break.
Good body control. Explodes out of pedal coming forward.
Impressive closing burst.
Really smooth opening to run vertically.
Has EASY speed to keep with WRs down the field.
Still working on technique. Can get a little flat-footed at times (especially when waiting for WR to declare out of top-of-stem). Also stumbled out of redirect (vs. UGA).
Has some trouble versus bigger WRs at contested-catch point.
Does a good job baiting and tracking (and had strong hands) on INT vs. Stanford.
Decent tackler for a CB. Good form. Has more pop than his frame indicates. But gets erased due to the small frame at times.
Great strip from behind (and effort in pursuit) on FF vs. South Carolina.
DT Stephiylan Green
Draft Projection: Day 2
Measurables: 6-foot-4, 290 pounds
Played 309 snaps in a clear rotation last season. Had 16 tackles (2.5 for loss) and one sack.
More of a 3-tech and 5-tech. Also plays 1-tech for Clemson.
Used in a lot of games. Moves well but gets tight and loses power when on the move.
Strong versus double teams when he keeps his pads low.
Fast eyes!
Limited range as a run defender. Has some short-area suddenness but gets sluggish when chasing.
As a pass rusher, is at his best on obvious pass downs when he has a runway and can convert speed to power. Purely a power-based rusher. Straight-line guy.
DT DeMonte Capehart
Draft Projection: Mid-round pick
Measurables: 6-foot-5, 315 pounds
Played only 248 snaps in 2024 and totaled 21 tackles (1.5 for loss) and two pass break-ups.
Like him as a nose tackle (0-tech in odd fronts or 1-tech in even fronts).
Strong hands to control and disengage from blockers. Quick to locate.
STRONG versus double team. PLAYS WITH REALLY GOOD LEVERAGE.
FAST EYES! Effective eyes when locked out and locating.
Does a good job working through engagement and down the LOS tracking the ball carrier.
Wraps high but a thumper of a tackler.
Purely a bull rusher. Capable of collapsing the pocket, but lacks foot quickness and suddenness to keep offensive linemen on their heels.
FS Khalil Barnes
Draft Projection: Day 3
Measurables: 6-0, 195 pounds
Was fifth on the team with 61 tackles last season. Also had four interceptions.
Is at his best in a big Nickel role.
Instinctive and tough versus the run. Good feel for fighting off blocks. Good angles and leverage.
Plays with balance and stays on feet versus run.
Had two BIG coverage breakdowns vs. UGA.
Physical in coverage. Can hold ground in contested-catch situations.
LB Wade Woodaz
Draft Projection: Day 3
Measurables: 6-foot-3, 235 pounds
Led the team with 83 tackles in 2024.
Is quick laterally and coming forward (in short areas). BUT slow to redirect in space and lacks top-end recovery speed.
Fast eyes. Has some initial pop to knock blockers off his pads and continue to pursue.
Wrap-up tackler. Not a lot of knock-back power and winds up holding on for dear life at times. But I like how he faces up ball carriers and, at minimum, holds on while the cavalry comes to finish the tackle.
I like his patience when sifting through blocks. Very good job with ball location.
Lacks elite traits in coverage and NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED from certain matchups and too much space.
EDGE Will Heldt
Draft Projection: Fourth or fifth round, has upside to go higher
Measurables: 6-foot-6, 265 pounds
Logged 726 snaps at Purdue last year. Was fourth on the team with 56 tackles. Also had 10 tackles for loss and five sacks.
A stand-up EDGE. Tall with impressive length. Uses it to keep blockers off pads.
Shows some initial pop at the point of attack when taking on blockers.
Good straight-line speed when pursuing and coming forward. As a pass rusher, does a good job crossing OTs’ faces and closing.
Is really slow to redirect. Can be a liability in space as a tackler/run defender.
Surprisingly good as a spot-dropper on zone blitzes (happened a handful of times on tape). UNIQUE for his frame!!!
Needs better instincts/discipline in the run game. Gets sucked inside too often!
Plays too high and gets washed too easily when he takes a false step inside.
I don’t see it right now, but there’s a good deal of potential here. Can Clemson get the best out of him?
