Michigan Football: Jabrill Peppers Follows path of Woodson

Jabrill Peppers came to the Michigan football program for a reason and one of them was to follow in the footsteps of Wolverines great Charles Woodson.

There is no question that when it comes to the Michigan football team, few players have more talent or big-time NFL potential than Jabrill Peppers.

Peppers came to Michigan football because he wanted to be great — great like his hero Charles Woodson.

Here’s what Peppers said about Woodson in a post he wrote for the Players Tribune leading up to last season’s Ohio State game:

"Charles Woodson was my hero growing up. He was the guy I tried to model my game after.I can still picture the image of him after that Ohio State game with the rose in his mouth. That’s what made me want to wear the Winged Helmet.That’s what made me — a kid from North Jersey — want to play football at Michigan."

Here is Woodson’s most famous Michigan football moment:

Peppers talks about Woodson as a mythical figure and in truth he is. Yet, if Peppers can keep developing the way he has, he can continue to follow in Woodson’s footsteps, not only by forging his legacy as a great college player, but also as a future impact player in the National Football League.

Peppers definitely has a ways to go to make his college career comparable with Woodson’s, who of course won the Heisman and led Michigan football to its only national championship in the last 68 years.

Thanks to a injury-riddled freshman campaign, Peppers really wasn’t able to make an impact until last season when he had 45 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 10 passes defensed. Peppers also racked up 151 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns.

Yet, Woodson, by the end of his sophomore season had nine interceptions and was viewed as one of the nation’s best corners. Then, of course, in his junior season, he picked off seven passes and scored four total touchdowns, three of them on offense.

Woodson was special and in terms of college impact, Peppers will most likely never reach that level. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t be great, but he has a chance to be even greater at the next level.

Woodson, who had a Hall-of-Fame career in the NFL, had some ups and downs, but ultimately, he found a home as a slot corner/hybrid safety. Certainly, Woodson was great on the outside, especially in his early days, but he made his true impact from the slot.

That’s where Peppers will shine at the next level too. He still is looking for his first college pick, but it will come. He also is a great tackler, he can blitz and that coupled with his coverage skills, could make his deadly in the same role Woodson perfected for years in Green Bay and later in Oakland.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh even said nickel will be Peppers’ best NFL position, although he insisted Peppers could excel many places, even on offense.

Nickel corner or hybrid safety seems to Peppers path to the NFL and with the way game is changing those players are extremely valuable. Woodson helped pave the way for these players to become every-down guys because of how they can defend the run and the pass.

Versatility is the name of the NFL game and like Woodson, that is one of Peppers’ greatest strengths.

Next: Top 10 Michigan Running Backs of All Time

Peppers has yet to find Woodson’s level of success at Michigan and he probably never will. But at the next level, literally, anything is possible.

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Michigan Football: Jabrill Peppers Follows Footsteps of Charles Woodson

By Chris Peterson | Jul 31, 2016

Jabrill Peppers came to the Michigan football program for a reason and one of them was to follow in the footsteps of Wolverines great Charles Woodson.