Michigan standout Jabrill Peppers is headed toward a bright future in the NFL.
Which position? Or maybe, how many positions?
Those are timely questions, and that’s where the comparisons start. Peppers is most often compared to Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson, who went on to be a Defensive Player of the Year and nine-time Pro Bowl selection after his career at Michigan.
MORE: Jabrill Peppers scouting report
Woodson, now an ESPN analyst, compared Peppers to yet another standout defensive back.
“I see him really in a mode of ‘Honey Badger,’ ” Woodson told SN. “He’s a guy who you’re going to be able to pretty much put him anywhere.”
Woodson obviously is referring to Tyrann Mathieu, a hybrid cornerback/safety thriving in a role as a slot corner with the Arizona Cardinals. Like Peppers, Mathieu built that reputation in college. He had a knack for the big play at LSU, and he finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2011 as a result.
Peppers emerged as the same do-it-all-star for the Wolverines under Jim Harbaugh the last two seasons. The Sporting News Midseason All-American is getting the same Heisman Trophy consideration. He’s compiled an amazing line of 38 tackles and 10 tackles for loss to go with 442 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns. Harbaugh compared Peppers to Jim Thorpe after a 78-0 win against Rutgers on Oct. 8.
That’s led to speculation about where Peppers fits in the NFL. Peppers’ primary position in defensive coordinator Don Brown’s scheme is linebacker, but he still plays defensive back in several packages.
Woodson, who earned AP Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2009, played a similar role in Dom Capers’ defense with the Green Bay Packers late in his career when he switched to safety.
Woodson compiled 65 career interceptions, but he made his mark as a sure tackler, too.
“(Peppers) seems to excel right now when he’s in the box close to the line of scrimmage where it’s a nickel position, or coming down in certain packages as the dime player, Woodson said. “He can blitz, and he’s very aggressive in the run defense. When I first heard he was going to play the linebacker position, you worry if a guy will be instinctively aggressive at the position, because if not it allows for offensive linemen to get on you.”
Peppers answered those questions, and then some. He’ll continue to be compared to Woodson at the college level. Woodson led Michigan to the national championship in 1997 by making signature plays in all three phases, and Peppers has the Wolverines in the hunt for the College Football Playoff.
Woodson was the No. 4 pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. Mathieu would’ve been a top-five pick if not for off-the-field issues that led to his suspension from LSU. Peppers is projected as a first-round pick, and in many cases a top-five pick, in mock drafts.
All three players were difference makers in college, and that versatility carried over into the NFL. Woodson turned that into a Hall of Fame-caliber career. Mathieu is on the right track. Peppers is next.
MORE: Week 8 Heisman watch
There is one comparison that sticks with all three players, and one that Woodson sees Peppers doing every Saturday. Peppers can make game-changing plays in the secondary or at the line of scrimmage.
It doesn’t necessarily matter which position those plays come from.
“I’ve watched him play a couple times, and he has a knack for it,” Woodson said. “He doesn’t hesitate. He goes and makes the play. I think at the next level he’ll be very comparable to ‘Honey Badger. ’”
