NFL Network draft analyst and former league general manager Charley Casserly apparently really likes Michigan safety/linebacker Jabrill Peppers. If that’s not enough, Casserly really likes Peppers as a potential first-round draft pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Casserly, who released his third mock of the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft on Tuesday, once again has the Steelers selecting Peppers 30th overall and he writes of the selection:
Is Peppers another Troy Polamalu?
While Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin both recently attended the Michigan pro day, it appeared as though they had more interest in edge rusher Taco Charlton and defensive lineman Chris Wormley while there. That, however, isn’t to say that they both totally ignored Peppers, who reportedly stood on all his numbers from the combine. Peppers, however, did work out as a safety and cornerback during his pro day.
While in Indianapolis for the combine, Peppers measured in at 5107, 213-pounds as part of the linebacker group. He ran the 40-yard-dash in 4.46 seconds in addition to doing 19 reps on the bench and posting a vertical jump of 35.5 inches as well as a 10’8″ broad jump.
In the 27 games that he played in at Michigan, Peppers recorded 125 total tackles, two sacks, 10 pass breakups and one spectacular interception. He was forced to play linebacker last season due to team needs.
Peppers is a very versatile player as not only did he return punts and kickoffs during his time at Michigan, he also played some at running back and carried the football 45 times for 239 yards and five touchdowns in addition to catching 46 passes for another 239 yards.
With pre-draft visits now right around the corner it will certainly be interesting to see if Peppers winds up being one of the 30 out-of-area players the Steelers choose to bring to Pittsburgh.
