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Jabrill Peppers met with the Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals love versatility in their defense. Could Peppers be a replacement of Tony Jefferson?

NCAA Football: Michigan at Ohio State Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

There is a chasm between what the NFL thinks of Jabrill Peppers and what the internet thinks of Jabrill Peppers.

At least that is what it seems like when you see what Mike Mayock says about Peppers and ranking him at the top of his safety rankings.

So, when you hear that the Arizona Cardinals have met with the dynamic and versatile Peppers, it begs a question, how much do they like him?

Do they like him at 13 overall where Mayock would have him going based solely on his rankings, or do they like him where our own Justin Higdon pinpointed his ability way back in August:

On the flip side, I like Peppers’ tape as a linebacker/safety hybrid better than Jack’s. I think Bucannon is a pretty fair comparison for Peppers’ ceiling, but Deone intercepted 15 passes and forced six fumbles during his college career. Peppers has yet to force a single turnover. While he’s clearly an exciting athlete, and even an instinctive looking defender near the line of scrimmage, I need to see more disruptive playmaking before I get on board with Peppers as a first round draft pick. If he can fill that production gap, he’ll move up in my book, but for now he’s a Day Two projection heading into the season.

That was August of 2016, before the college season. When we talked with Eric Stoner the other day about players not changing, this is what we were really talking about. Players strengths and weaknesses don’t always fluctuate.

Peppers has never been the type of player to cause turnovers, that is still a concern, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a good player who could be a great player. It means that if you take him 13 (if the Cardinals did) and he doesn’t cause a lot of turnovers, this was something we knew was flaw in his game. Why are we surprised?

However, Bucannon has only one interception and four forced fumbles in his three seasons in the NFL, so maybe Peppers can match that.

What do you think?