Exit Jabrill Peppers Comment Count

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Farewell. [Patrick Barron/MGoBlog]

After wrestling with a decision many thought was a foregone conclusion, Jabrill Peppers informed Sports Illustrated today that he will enter the NFL Draft:

“It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do,” Peppers said. “I’m choosing between cementing my legacy as a college player and starting my pro legacy. It’s something you dream of when you were a kid. I was torn between the two.”

Peppers said he ultimately came to a decision this weekend while visiting his family in his native New Jersey. He informed Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh of his decision in a meeting in Harbaugh’s office on Monday. “He thanked me and told me it was a pleasure to coach me,” Peppers said. “I told him it was a pleasure to play for him. He molded me for the next level, that’s how he operates. He runs his program like an NFL team. He’s done more than enough to prepare me for this moment.”

Peppers leaves Michigan as a Heisman finalist and consensus All-American, not to mention one of the most explosive, versatile, and entertaining players ever to grace the field at the Big House. Whether as a hybrid linebacker or safety, he should be selected in the top half of the first round.

When a pulled hamstring kept Peppers out of the Orange Bowl, we got a preview of what the VIPER(!!!) position could look like in his absence. Sophomore-to-be Josh Metellus took most of the available snaps at the position with junior-to-be Noah Furbush providing a more traditional linebacker look against heavier sets. Sophomores Khaleke Hudson and Jordan Glasgow and freshman Jaylen Kelly-Powell will also compete for snaps as hybrid safety types, as would Willie Gay if he ends up in the 2017 class; sophomore Josh Uche will push for situational snaps as a pass-rush specialist.

While it would've been wonderful, to say the least, for Peppers to return for one more season, no reasonable person could blame him for beginning what should be a long and lucrative career in professional football. He'll be a fascinating player to follow at the next level; he was a delight to watch at Michigan.

Comments

raagnar

January 10th, 2017 at 3:16 PM ^

What a great emissary for our program. I am proud of him as a person and his impact as a player.

I loved watching him, my kids loved watching him.

Good Luck Mr. Peppers!

YoOoBoMoLloRoHo

January 10th, 2017 at 3:18 PM ^

Still disappointed to miss 2 bowl games and his freshman year to injuries, but JP was so exciting and such a great ambassador for UM. Time went by too quickly. Excited to see him get his dream to play in the NFL.

Next year? No pressure, Josh, just need you to replace one of the most explosive athletes at Viper ...

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

January 10th, 2017 at 3:18 PM ^

Much respect for the way Jabrill carried himself in the past three years.  Got to be by far the most unique player - in terms of usage - that Michigan has ever had.  Can't do that without being 99th percentile in talent, brains, and hard work.

pescadero

January 10th, 2017 at 3:44 PM ^

Got to be by far the most unique player - in terms of usage - that Michigan has ever had.

 

Tom Harmon - Rushed for 2,134 yards and 33TD, threw 16 TD passes, kicked 33 XP and 2 FG.

 

Bennie Oosterbaan - 3 time AA who started at offensive end and defensive end, plus was a starter on the basketball team and the baseball team who earned 9 varsity letters in 3 years.

stephenrjking

January 10th, 2017 at 3:46 PM ^

This being Michigan, that's an interesting paradigm, because we had great players before we had two-platoon football (which, hey, there's Michigan taking the lead there too). 

Perhaps this should be narrowed to the "modern era" or "two-platoon era" or something like that. Obviously, guys used perform in a wider variety of roles when the game was different, back in the day.

pescadero

January 11th, 2017 at 10:46 AM ^

Harmon played right halfback, left halfback, quarterback, and kicker on offense.

Harmon punted. Harmon returned kickoffs and punts.

Harmon played safety on defense.

 

In 1940 against Ohio State:

Rushing: 25 carries for 139 yards and 3TD

Passing: 11/22 passing for 151 yards and 2 TD.

Punting - 3 punts, 50 yard average

Kicking - all kickoffs, kicked 4 XP

Defense - 0 passes completed against him, 3 interceptions, 1 INT returned for TD.

Returns: 3 punt returns for 81 yards

 

He played 59 minutes and 22 seconds of a 60 minute game.

 

Gucci Mane

January 10th, 2017 at 3:18 PM ^

I wish he would have stayed one more year, birnvany blame him for leaving. Good luck in the NFL ! Become a star and help Michigan recruiting in the future !!

T

January 10th, 2017 at 3:19 PM ^

Good for him.  Congratulations, Jabrill.  May you have as long and productive an NFL career as the last Michigan defensive Heisman finalist.

yossarians tree

January 10th, 2017 at 3:20 PM ^

Will always be bummed we got cheated out of his freshman year, but I think he is making the right decision and I wish him the best. Something tells me he'll be back to finish his degree, too.

Mr. Owl

January 10th, 2017 at 3:25 PM ^

I think he's making a mistake simply from a development standpoint.  What position will he play?  Safety?  He hasn't played much there at all.  Some team will spend a high pick on him anyway, but he won't simply be able to beat guys with athletic ability on the next level.

Maynard

January 10th, 2017 at 3:39 PM ^

We've been over this a million times it seems on here. All the same people who kept saying he would stay another year to develop are the ones who seem to say he won't have a position in the NFL or not be very good because he is a tweener. There are 5 teams that are absolutely salivating to get him and possibly a 6th.

combslice

January 10th, 2017 at 4:15 PM ^

Plenty of NFL 1st round safeties had less refinement (Calvin Pryor) or worse measurables (Kenny Vaccaro 4.63 40yd, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix 4.58 40yd).  He's got comparable measureables to guys like Eric Berry and Earl Thomas.  The physical tools are there and we've seen his ability to read plays.  I think even if he apprentices for a year (which he won't have to) he'll do just fine.  There's nothing to develop in college that he can't do on-the-job in the pros.

Bill22

January 12th, 2017 at 11:58 PM ^

It's going to be one of two mindsets, (1) I don't know what to do with this guy. He's not a LB, he's not a Safety. He's a glorified punt returner, no thanks, or (2) this guy is the most incredible athlete in the draft and it doesn't matter where we put him, he'll be an impact player. My guess is after the combine at least one or two GM/HC or Owner thinks he's incredible and picks him in the top 10. There is a Malik Hooker or Jamal Adams every year. How often does a Jabrill Peppers come along? Once in a generation?




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1VaBlue1

January 10th, 2017 at 6:31 PM ^

Here's the revisionism...  What a joke of a post.  Average cover skills?  Compared to who?  

Peppers was a safety coming out of high school and was immediately compared to Jordan Lewis as a cover man.  Even as a redshirt freshman playing safety last year, he was asked to cover WR's in man without ever having played corner, and was compared against corners for that coverage.  This year he was playing a hybrid position with spy responsibilities while being a nominal LB.  In none of those situations can he be fairly evaluated as having coverage skills similar to a corner.  Yet, that is the standard he's held to.

You know what?  If I were an NFL GM, I would have no qualms about taking him off the board as the best safety available, regardless of round or draft position.  And if needed, I wouldn't hesitate to ask him to man up a corner position while one of my corners was out with an injury. I have no doubt, that if asked to play corner, he could pick it up in a matter of weeks.

If Jabrill Peppers has average cover skills for a safety, then I can play the position...  Judge him against safeties, or LB's in coverage - then tell me he has average skills.  Name me one other safety in the history of football that has average skills, yet is invited to NY for the Hiesman Award.

WTF?

pescadero

January 11th, 2017 at 11:12 AM ^

From PFF:

 

"While his elite athleticism and ability as a returner is blindingly apparent every time he steps on the field, his play on the back end has been less than stellar. When targeted in coverage this season, he has yielded receptions on 20 of 27 targets and does not have a single pass defended when he is the primary defender"

 

pescadero

January 11th, 2017 at 11:09 AM ^

Calvin Pryor - 6 int, 9 PD in 3 years. Played safety in college.

Kenny Vaccaro - 5 int, 24 PD in 3 years. Played safety in college. #84 of 86 rated safeties in NFL as a rookie.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix - 9 int, 15 PD in 3 years. Played safety in college.

 

Peppers - 1 int, 11PD in 3 years, Played LB in college.

 

Plus Peppers is going to measure shorter than all of them.

 

I think he has the physical tools to be very good, but he's got a good ways to go in coverage.

CoverZero

January 10th, 2017 at 3:30 PM ^

Jabrill is a great player and seems to be a great person as well.  Something about the Peppers era will leave Michigan fans a bit longing, for a B1G championship perhaps. His injury during his freshman season contributes to this incomplete feeling. 

However, those are minor complaints to some extent and were not within Jabrill's control at all.  We got to see 2 seasons of a special athlete who will not be forgotten, and we can cheer on at the next level.