Peter Woods knows exactly what he has in front of him this summer, and he's not wasting the opportunity.
The Kansas City Chiefs' rookie defensive tackle has spent training camp picking the brain of the team's best pass rusher (and one of the league's most disruptive players). For Woods, the one-on-one time with Chris Jones has been the part of his time in St. Joseph that he values most.
"In my opinion, that's a future Hall of Famer that I have an opportunity to be able to get to learn from and play beside and play with," said Woods during Thursday's post-practice media session. "Every opportunity that we've been given to have one-on-one time together, talk through things and bounce knowledge off each other, he's been super willing and almost even initiating for that to happen. I'm very appreciative of him and who he's been in this process for me moving forward."
That kind of mentorship is what the Chiefs had in mind when they selected Woods at No. 29 overall in April with the second of their two first-round picks. Woods started as a freshman at Clemson and earned consecutive All-ACC honors in his final two years before declaring for the draft as a junior. The flashes of pro potential earned him top-10 draft buzz, and the Chiefs are doing their best to tap into that potential in camp.
Jones isn't the only one coaching up Woods, of course. Joe Cullen is the seasoned positional coach tasked with getting the most of everyone up front, and Woods is taking a lot from his as well, especially his energy.
"I love Coach Cullen," said Woods. "He brings the energy each and every day. Some days in camp, some guys aren't gonna have it. He's got it every day. So I'm very appreciative of him and what he brings to the table, the knowledge and the wisdom that he brings. He knows a lot about this game, 30-plus years in. So yeah, I'm very appreciative of Coach Cullen."
As a player with such obvious and incredible physical tools, Woods says the learning curve has taken the focus off of some of that. "It's not always about raw strength, power, potential," he said. "Really honing in on the little details is something I think I've learned."
Woods says his own inner critic is the motivating factor, which means that he's being coached, in a way, from multiple directions. As much as Jones and Cullen can guide him, Woods' desire to better himself is going to play a key role in his success. "I've always kind of got a chip on my shoulder, always trying to just be very critical of myself. Every day I come out here, and I'm never really satisfied with how my day ends, and that just helps me be better the next day."
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