Houston Texans select Clemson linebacker Wade Woodaz in round four
Clemson now has a seventh player taken in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Saturday afternoon former Tiger linebacker Wade Woodaz came off the board in round four by way of the Houston Texans as the 123rd pick of the draft.
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Woodaz, voted a permanent captain by his teammates, played in 51 career games (30 starts) where he totaled 217 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks and 13 pass-breakups.
Said Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney following Woodaz’s selection: “They’re getting a steal in Wade Woodaz. This is a kid that has just now really developed into a complete linebacker. You know, when he was younger, he played quarterback, he played safety. I thought he had his best year last year. He’s a leader, he’s a captain, he’s a gym rat. He loves the game. He’s long, he can run, he’s athletic. I think he can play either linebacker position. He’s got package ability to use him in some different packages.
“He’s a core special teams guy and is a guy that I think is going to be ready to help his team right out of the gate. That’s going to be one lucky linebacker coach; they will love this guy. He shows up as the same guy every day. He’s an incredible preparer week-in and week-out. He knows how to take care of his body and will be a great player for a long time.”
Woodaz, a Tampa (Fla.) native, received a high-level three-star ranking from Rivals out of high school where he was tabbed 38th nationally among linebacker prospects and 80th overall regardless of position in the state of Florida.
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Woodaz becomes the 93rd player drafted in the Swinney era.
Earlier Saturday former Tiger quarterback Cade Klubnik was taken in round four by the New York Jets who selected the Austin (TX) native as the 110th pick overall.
Friday evening former Tiger defensive end T.J. Parker came off the board in round two by way of the Buffalo Bills as the 35th pick of the draft. Following Parker, former Tiger cornerback Avieon Terrell was selected by the Atlanta Falcons as the 48th pick overall (round two), while former wide receiver Antonio Williams was taken by the Washington Commanders in round three as the 71st pick overall.
Former Tigers (OL) Blake Miller and (DT) Peter Woods were taken previously in round one on Thursday with Miller going 17th overall to the Detroit Lions and Woods coming off the board at 29th overall by way of the Kansas City Chiefs.
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Clemson has now had at least one player drafted for 24 consecutive years, including at least one first-round selection in 11 of the last 14 years.
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