Jabrill Peppers. Photo courtesy of mgoblue.com.
Editor’s note: The following article was posted on mgoblue.com.
University of Michigan junior linebacker and all-purpose contributor Jabrill Peppers announced on Tuesday, Jan. 10, that he will forgo his remaining eligibility and declare for early entry into the 2017 National Football League Draft.
Peppers, an East Orange native and Heisman Trophy finalist who was voted the Bo Schembechler Team MVP by his teammates at the annual Football Bust celebration on Dec. 13, showed his range and versatility by contributing at 15 different positions on offense, defense and special teams. Primarily a linebacker, he won the Lott IMPACT Trophy and Paul Hornung Award this season. He was also a unanimous first-team All-American.
Peppers became the first player in Big Ten history to win three individual awards when he was named the conference’s Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year, Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year and Rodgers-White Return Specialist of the Year. He was also recognized as a first-team All-Big Ten performer on defense and special teams.
This fall, Peppers helped direct a Michigan defense that leads the nation in pass defense and third-down conversion percentage allowed. U-M ranks second nationally in four other categories. He missed the team’s final game in the Orange Bowl against Florida State due to a leg injury sustained the day before the game.
Peppers finished third on the team in tackles with a career-best 72 stops on the year. He was U-M’s leader in tackles-for-loss (16), averaging 1.3 per game, and helped U-M become the only defense in the nation to average more than three sacks (3.27) and nine tackles for loss (9.6) per game. Peppers also contributed four sacks, one interception and one forced fumble.
In the return game, he had 21 punt returns for 310 total yards, averaging 14.8 yards per return with one touchdown, and he also had 10 kickoff return opportunities, totaling 260 yards for a 26.0-yard average. Peppers carried the ball 27 times on offense for 167 total yards (6.18 yards per carry) with three touchdowns and also registered two receptions.
Through his 15 different positions played this season (five on offense, six on defense, four on special teams), Peppers played an astounding 933 snaps, logging 726 plays on defense, 53 plays on offense and 154 snaps on special teams.
In his two full years wearing the winged helmet, Peppers was a part of two 10-win seasons, helping the Wolverines to a 20-6 overall record in 2015 and 2016. In addition to the two national awards he received, Peppers was also a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, Maxwell Award, Bronko Nagurski Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.
The 2017 NFL Draft will take place April 27-29 in Philadelphia.
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