After selecting Myles Garrett with the first-overall pick, general manager Sashi Brown has taken Jabrill Peppers with the 25th-overall selection.
Nobody knew where Peppers was going to go after one of the strangest situations in recent draft memory. Every year, there is always a player or two — or 20 — who are projected to go much higher than where they end up. However, it rarely happens that a player goes from a consensus top-five pick to being moved around to different positions by pundits, even before his diluted sample at the combine.
Peppers has been talked about as a safety, linebacker and running back, with teams having opinions all over the map. In reality, Peppers has been a terrific safety throughout his career with the Michigan Wolverines, although his offensive talents were also on display over the past two years.
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 213
40-time: 4.46
Bench: 19 reps
Vertical: 35.5”
Broad: 128”
3-cone: N/A
Regardless, the 21-year-old has incredible athletic ability. His talents need to be harnessed properly, with the coaching staff charged with figuring out how to use him best. The New Jersey native will almost certainly be used significantly on special teams, while seeing time on both sides of the ball remaining a possibility.
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Ultimately, this is a football player in the truest sense of the term. At 5-foot-11 and 213 pounds, Peppers absolutely has the size to play safety, while clearly being too small to play linebacker. The best guess here? Let Peppers play in a lurker/robber role, that allows him freedom as a safety both in the box and in center field.