Jabrill Peppers, safety/linebacker, Michigan
Jabrill Peppers did a little bit of everything for the Wolverines during his three seasons at Michigan, and he’s undoubtedly one of the best athletes in the draft. In fact, he could be the best overall athlete.
The question with Peppers is this, though: Will his “jack-of-all-trades” skill-set translate to a permanent, big-impact role in the NFL?
He played a ton of hybrid linebacker for the Wolverines, but at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, he’s probably not big enough for NFL linebacker. Perhaps he would make sense as a 3-4 pass-rushing outside linebacker (think Clay Matthews), but that’s a very limited skill set.
Safety probably makes more sense for Peppers, but consider this: He only notched one total interception in three seasons at Michigan, and just 11 passes defended.
He’ll clearly make an impact on special teams and a smart coach may try to figure out how to get him in on offense from time-to-time, but is a defensive back who only notched one pick worth it as a high draft selection?
Peppers is the ultimate boom or bust player this draft.