CFB Week 3 Review: NFL Draft Player of the Week

Week three of college football was another blast of a slate of games. Not only were the match ups with two ranked teams involved fun, there were tons of un ranked or "uneven" games that were great to watch and had awesome performances that involved NFL draft prospects. However, there can only be one player of the week...

Jabrill Peppers, Michigan

It is hard to assign Jabrill Peppers an NFL position and that is going to be a struggle in projecting him to the NFL. However, it is not because he is bad at any one position, it is because he is such a unique athlete with a rare physical profile. Peppers has played corner, safety, linebacker, running back and returner at Michigan and flashed incredible ability whenever and wherever he is on the field.

The 6-1, 210 pound hybrid player had an incredible game against the Colorado Buffaloes, making plays in the run game, looking incredible in coverage and had a game changing punt return for a touchdown. It was mind blowing to see a man of his build juke around and speed past defenders like a 190 pound scat back. It is exciting to see a player like Peppers dominate the college level while the NFL is moving more and more to using hybrid players to combat the proliferation of the spread passing offense.

I am excited to see Peppers grow into his new role with the Wolverines after moving around his first two seasons. He will be an electric player for the rest of his college career and his athleticism will afford him great opportunity in the NFL.

What other players stood out?

• Deshone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame: Despite playing in a losing effort, Deshone Kizer looked impressive against one of the best teams in the country. His blend of poise, size, and physical gifts put him in the conversation for being the best quarterback in the NFL draft.
• Malik McDowell, DL, MSU: On the other side of Deshone Kizer was Michigan State's behemoth defensive lineman, Malik McDowell. His athleticism and ability to disrupt the passing and running game is incredibly impressive. He looks like a potential top ten pick.
• JuJu Smith Schuster, WR, USC: Smith Schuster is standing out because... He isn't. The gifted junior pass catcher was the best receiver in the country a year ago and has all but disappeared in USC's now stagnant offense. Of course the Trojans are having issues at the quarterback position, but it is worrying that a receiver who can be dominant has not been able to overcome his team's offensive downfalls. Hopefully the Trojans can find some rhythm in the coming weeks and Schuster can get back to making cornerbacks look silly.