Exit Jabrill Peppers
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.
January 10th, 2017 at 3:14 PM ^
Thank you, Jabrill. You were the (playing) face of the program the past 2 years, and I am psyched to see a ton of Michigan men balling out in the pros for years to come. Make us proud!
January 10th, 2017 at 3:15 PM ^
Thank you, Jabrill! It was a pleasure watching you rep the Maize and Blue.
Seems like deja vu...
January 10th, 2017 at 3:15 PM ^
Thank you, Jabrill!
January 10th, 2017 at 3:16 PM ^
Your football career can be over in an instant. It will be fun to watch him in the NFL. We were lucky to have him.
January 10th, 2017 at 3:16 PM ^
Good luck & thank you!
January 10th, 2017 at 3:16 PM ^
January 10th, 2017 at 3:17 PM ^
Thank you, Jabrill!
January 10th, 2017 at 3:17 PM ^
January 10th, 2017 at 4:34 PM ^
January 10th, 2017 at 3:17 PM ^
have a long and prosperous career. You deserve all the success that comes your way.
January 10th, 2017 at 3:17 PM ^
Jabrill was a dude. Going to miss watching him in the maize and blue. Glad to hear his praise for Harbaugh preparing him for the NFL on the way out.
January 10th, 2017 at 3:18 PM ^
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.
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.
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.
January 10th, 2017 at 6:16 PM ^
But neither played three positions on defense and three on offense.
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.
January 10th, 2017 at 7:29 PM ^
January 10th, 2017 at 3:18 PM ^
January 10th, 2017 at 3:19 PM ^
So sad to see him go, but glad we got to see him play for Michigan. Look forward to following his career in the pros.
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.
January 10th, 2017 at 3:20 PM ^
Thank you, Jabrill!
Time to terrify the NFL.
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.
January 10th, 2017 at 3:21 PM ^
Thanks for all the memories!
I think we need to have a GIF bracket for JP's M career like we had for Harbaugh last year.
January 10th, 2017 at 3:38 PM ^
The 2016 season summary montage after last night's championship game featured a Peppers backflip. It was the best part.
January 10th, 2017 at 3:23 PM ^
January 10th, 2017 at 3:24 PM ^
January 10th, 2017 at 3:24 PM ^
Goodnight Sweet Prince
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.
January 10th, 2017 at 3:31 PM ^
$trike while the Iron is Hot.
January 10th, 2017 at 6:55 PM ^
also too.
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.
January 10th, 2017 at 3:40 PM ^
Either Saftey or the Hybrid Linebacker spot like Deone Bucannon, https://theringer.com/nfl-linebacker-position-evolution-deone-bucannon-…;
January 10th, 2017 at 4:02 PM ^
January 10th, 2017 at 6:15 PM ^
He just watched his own injury blow up a game he was preparing two months for...
January 10th, 2017 at 4:04 PM ^
In your field, would you be able to develop more if you were limited to 20 hours a week or if you had effectively unlimited time to spend on your craft?
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.
January 10th, 2017 at 4:20 PM ^
January 10th, 2017 at 4:32 PM ^
I agree that those skills weren't exceptional. I still think he plays extensively his first year and gets paid well to do so after going in round 1. Given those likely outcomes, I'm not sure what purpose there would be in developing as an amateur instead of on the job.
January 10th, 2017 at 4:55 PM ^
Kiper has him as the #1 safety prospect. McShay has him #1 safety and #4 on the big board. #13 on the CBSSports big board. Could go on and on all day. Point is, he is going to be just fine and is going to be drafted early.
January 12th, 2017 at 11:58 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
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?
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"
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.
January 10th, 2017 at 6:27 PM ^
January 10th, 2017 at 3:25 PM ^
Good luck and thank you! Thank you for leaving your heart on the field every time you stepped onto it. There wasn't a player who out worked you.
January 10th, 2017 at 3:25 PM ^
Get that money, Jabrill. You've earned it.
January 10th, 2017 at 3:26 PM ^
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.
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