And where would you play him? Can't play him at SS(Jones) and he's not an NFL LB either. You play him at FS which would not be his best position? Not attacking you, just really want to know where could he help us the most?
Ozzy rules!!
Jabrill Peppers Master Thread
- Thread starter SCLSU Mud Dogs
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And where would you play him? Can't play him at SS(Jones) and he's not an NFL LB either. You play him at FS which would not be his best position? Not attacking you, just really want to know where could he help us the most?
Ozzy rules!!
Eh, again, watch him vs a good WR and I don't get that sentiment. (And watching him trying to defend the run vs blocks is a straight up ****ing eyesore)
[video=youtube;DDOpUWrAJJE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDOpUWrAJJE[/video]
1:00 - Here's an example of not being comfortable in space 1v1 and being grabby.
4:52 - Another instance of failed 1v1 coverage. Too much space given over the middle w/ outside leverage and allows the first down in man coverage. Despite the wool that Kollman tries to pull over our eyes on this particular play Peppers is at fault for giving up the first. How the **** can you expect to have inside help with the RB in motion that removes the Sam from the middle and the Will is on a blitz? There is no help, why would you funnel a receiver in a zone like manner in man coverage. Makes zero sense for the BS that Kollman is trying to explain away on this play.
5:11 - Here's what great man coverage looks like. But it's not Peppers.
5:20 - The lone interception of Pepper's career came on a play in which he was beaten by #2 on a curl in his hook/curl zone but the overthrow and tip resulted in a lucky break. He's not a ball-hawking defender.
7:34 - Poor angle from the FS spot.
7:46 - Another catch given up due to failure to diagnose a route and recover. The WR's inside stem is almost a dead giveaway for the out route here. Pepper's doesn't react fast enough to defend it. I don't care about the WR's top end speed, he cuts twice which negates it's overall effectiveness and it's more about reading and reacting.
8:49 - Example of him at SS. Poor defensive technique at the top of the receiver's stem which results in him getting bodied up by the TE and he fails to defend the pass.
8:58 & 9:19 - Example of him playing Mike. Beat to the edge and back inside, then fooled by the play design and leaves his area of responsibility. Yeah, no thanks.
miamiron
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If he goes 32nd he'll be a New Orleans Saint
I'm pretty much convinced that Peppers should NOT be the pick at 22 for us. I'm sick of projects. Get a guy that we know where he's going to line up from day one
Ozzy rules!!
I appreciate the tape breaking down. We can all disagree on stuff but you show your work.
Always Next Year
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I'm certainly not a "draft guru", or anything of that sort, but I played football for many years and have been a football fan my entire life, so I know a bit about the game.
The short answer to your question about his best position in the pros; I would think an in the box SS is where he would be best suited, and I think he could be a monster there.
When it comes to evaluating a college player for the NFL, you have to look at their skill set and try to project how those tools could be used at the next level. Remember, this is ONLY a projection, because you never know how a guy will play in the pros until he actually does it. Just look at past drafts and see how many guys have failed in the pros after being drafted at any point in the draft.
When talking about the difference between college and pro football I always say the same thing; "same sport, different game".
That takes us back to what I said in the beginning; you have to identify a player's skill set and then project how that would translate to the pro level. When it comes to the measurables, Peppers is very athletic; his forty was faster than Earl Thomas (and many other productive safeties in the NFL) and Peppers is bigger, Peppers also did well in the jumps (broad, high) and three cone at the combine. So he checks the box for having the athletic ability to play at the next level. I'm also from the camp that puts a heavy emphasis on feet and hands when evaluating a player at any position, this is also an area where Peppers shines. People will often point to point to Peppers' low ints (or should I say, int) as a sign of poor hands, but the tape does not bear that out, I did not see him drop many possible ints. Fielding punts is one of the most difficult things to do on a football field, and Peppers did VERY well in that role, and his ability to return punts shows he has great feet.
Most important factor in the evaluation is the game tape; this area can be frustrating for Peppers because he was asked to do so many different things, he does not have a large amount of tape at any one position. This freaks a lot of people out, similar to the way people are reluctant to draft QBs that have only started for one year. When I watch Pepper's tape a few things jump out at me; first he has a high football IQ, he is able to diagnose plays very quickly and know where he is supposed to be on most plays. This is especially impressive considering how many different positions he was asked to play; he's the type of player that knows everyone's job on the defense. I also see a player that is fluid in coverage, he has the ability to easily flip his hips and can mirror receivers in coverage, this is a tremendously valuable skill when it comes to coverage in the pros. He will need to develop the specific techniques to cover NFL wide outs, due to the fact that he was not asked to cover man to man very much in college, but he does posses the skill set to excel in that area. Another thing I notice with Peppers is that he LOVES contact, he is usually hitting guys with a violent strike, I tend to like guys that like to hit somebody.
Peppers does have some flaws, but at #22 you will not find many players that are completely "clean".
On the high end, Peppers has a chance to be a Troy Polamalu type with better size, at the very least he should be a productive in the box safety that also helps your team in the return game.
On a personal note; I tend to like DBs that are also productive in the return game, this shows ball skills and the whole hands and feet thing I mentioned earlier.
If this draft wasn't so loaded defensively, I think Peppers is easily a top 15 pick, or even better. The guys that are rated ahead of Peppers this year are guys that have only played safety, so they have more tape at the position and it makes GMs much more comfortable in their evaluations.
Great prospect and will be a solid pro if he goes to a defensive mind that knows how to maximize that incredible versatility. I remember people having the same knocks on Harrison Smith coming out of ND ... but Minnesota knew what they were seeing there ... and surprised a bunch of folks by using a first rounder on him. There are a number of teams that have creative schemes and need what he brings to the table. Are we one of them? Will the newbie DC and the archaic scheme he inherited hold Peppers back? That I'm not sure about. He shouldn't get out of the 1st though.
Virtually the same but Thomas ran the faster 40 (4.43 compared to Peppers 4.46) and they're are also relatively the same size.
It's not his hands that are a worry, it's his ball-hawking ability to make game changing plays on defense.
His off the field intangibles are very worthy but I don't see his ability quickly diagnose routes (other blowing up the occasional screen when unblocked) or a defender comfortable in space in pass coverage. He definitely also shy's from contact and is more often engulfed by it. He's a good downhill tackler but that's where his physical play ends.
FearTheBeard
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Just tested positive for a diluted sample via Schefter
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JakeemThe Dream
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What an idiot!!! Some just don't have brains. It's only the biggest moment of his life.
There is something you are ignoring or overlooking, the Dolphins last year didn't play with the traditional FS/SS configuration.
He would play the same role Isa Abdul-Quddus, who is also a SS, played last year next to Jones.
AphexPhin
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Ross would be thrilled to get this guy
JakeemThe Dream
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Wasn't Jones a Free Safety coming out? I could've sworn he was