1. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy as a defensive player.
Peppers played the majority of his snaps in 2016 as a linebacker and was a rare pick as defensive player being selected as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Just one defensive player has ever won the Heisman – Charles Woodson. A handful of other players have been nominated, including Manti Te'o, Tyrann Mathieu and Ndamukong Suh.
2. He's played several positions on both sides of the ball.
During his college career, Peppers has lined up at a free safety, strong safety, cornerback, nickel corner and linebacker, and that's just on the defensive side of the ball. He's also lined up on offense at quarterback, halfback, fullback and wide receiver. In addition, he's developed a reputation as one of the nation's top punt and kick returners. Most draft experts project him as a safety in the NFL, though he also worked out with the linebackers at the NFL Scouting Combine.
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- He's really, really fast.**
Peppers ran the 40-yard dash with the linebackers and finished in 4.46 seconds, which was the fastest time. When comparing him to safeties, he would have been the fifth-fastest player. Peppers won the 100 and 200-meter state championship in back-to-back seasons while in high school, becoming just the second person in New Jersey history to achieve the feat. He also set the state record with a 200-meter time of 20.79 seconds.
4. He was Michigan's MVP in 2016.
During his final season at Michigan, Peppers was given the Bo Schembechler Award, which is the team's MVP award that is voted on by the players. He did so on a team that could have as many as four players selected in the first round of the Draft. NFL.com projects 16 Wolverines will be drafted.
5. He is a former top recruit.
Coming out of high school, Peppers was the No. 2 overall recruit in the country according to ESPN. The No. 1 overall recruit was LSU's Leonard Fournette, who is also expected to be selected in the first round of this year's Draft.
