Jabrill Peppers was working out with the linebackers Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, and he burned up the track running his 40-yard dash.
A rare specimen, the 5-foot-10, 213-pound Peppers is working out Sunday with the linebackers and Monday with defensive backs. This is happening because he was listed as a linebacker at Michigan.
However, Peppers made it clear that he is a safety at the NFL level speaking with the press, even though many believe he’ll be a better offensive player at the next level, or potentially a linebacker.
“What do I look like?” Peppers said, via the Detroit Free Press. “I’m a safety.”
“Free or strong (safety), I’m very fast, I’m stronger than the typical DB, tougher than a typical DB, seeing as I played linebacker in the Big Ten at 200 pounds. So anywhere from nickel, I can play some corner still, so we’re going to see,” Peppers said.
Speaking of fast, here’s Peppers running his first 40-yard dash with a time of 4.47 seconds, unofficially.
.@JabrillPeppers making his presence felt at the #NFLCombine.
4.47u in the 40-yard dash.https://t.co/bHdn5itVIp
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) March 5, 2017
He would shave one-hundredth of a second off his second time, posting a 4.46-second 40 on his second attempt.
While it’s not John Ross fast (more on that here), Peppers running a sub-4.5-second 40 is impressive. He’s going to almost certainly be an in-the-box safety at the NFL level, which means he has plenty of speed to chase down running backs from the back side and hang with tight ends and slot receivers on passing plays.
NFL personnel executives are torn on Peppers’ pro potential, and some believe he’s “more hype than substance.” It’s going to be fascinating to see where he ultimately lands in the upcoming 2017 NFL Draft, and how he performs at the next level afterwards.