Michigan freshman defensive end Rashan Gary is the No. 3 true freshman college football player to have seen the field this year, according to Pro Football Focus … that and other notes.
Gary checks in behind Clemson DT Dexter Lawrence, who grades out at 83.8, and Houston DT Ed Oliver (82.0). From ProFootballFocus.com:
“Adding Gary to an already-loaded defensive line seemed unfair for Michigan and Gary has already shown why he was so highly touted. He’s cracked the defensive line rotation with 136 snaps, fifth-most on the team, doing his best work in the run game at 87.4 while picking up two sacks, three QB hits, and six hurries on 73 pass rushes. His 13.3 pass rush productivity leads all true freshmen edge rushers.”
Gary has notched 15 tackles (eight solo) and a sack in four games this year.
Michigan is ranked No. 4 nationally by Pro Football Focus.
"Michigan continue to impress, this week with a one-sided victory over Penn State in which the Wolverines simply dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. That defensive dominance meant that Saquon Barkley, Penn State’s star running back, had no room to run. On offense, right tackle Erik Magnuson earned an 80.4 overall grade, and a 79.2 run blocking grade, which is about as good a performance as we’ve seen from him. Next up for Michigan is the visit of an impressive Wisconsin team — things are about to get real for the Wolverines."
ESPN.com, meanwhile, asked 10 writers to grade players from across the country on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best early season performance possible. Michigan redshirt sophomore linebacker/return man Jabrill Peppers checked in at No. 4.
"Michigan players have run out of adjectives for the versatile sophomore linebacker. Whenever he wows the team now, they just turn to one another and say, "Jabrill is really good at football." With the most tackles for loss and punt return yards in the nation through four weeks, Peppers' teammates have had a lot of reasons to say that recently." - Dan Murphy
CBSSports.com's Rob Rang has Pepers going No. 5 in a mock NFL draft
"Some clubs seem to annually struggle at certain positions and with not a single cornerback from Tennessee in the modern era having earned multiple Pro Bowl nods, general manager Jon Robinson could be looking for an upgrade at the position. Linebacker, safety, cornerback, returner -- put him wherever you'd like -- Peppers is a natural playmaker with the instincts and athleticism to carry over his success and versatility into the NFL.
His CBS colleague, Dan Brugler, also has him at No. 4, while Sports Illustrated has him going No. 5.
"Peppers continues to show he is among college football’s most explosive players, no matter where he lines up on the field."
NFL.com writers compare him to former LSU and current Arizona Cardinals safety Tyrann Matheiu, with one NFL executive calling him a bigger, more explosive version.
"My colleague Lance Zierlein made the same comp for Peppers this week. I think Mathieu (5-foot-9, 186 pounds) is a more instinctive player in coverage, but Peppers (6-1, 205, per school measurements) is more physical and he brings an added dimension in the return game. Peppers is a defensive coordinator's dream. You can line him up at multiple spots and he finds ways to affect the game." -- Daniel Jeremiah
Finally, Sports Illustrated also has senior cornerback Jourdan Lewis going No. 28 in next year's draft.
"You’ll hear Lewis’s size (5' 11", 186) used as a knock against him, as evidence that he will be a nickel-corner only in the NFL. That’s a little misleading because a.) he has the ball skills to at least hold his own outside, and b.) nickel defenses are widely prevalent right now. Defenses cannot survive with two corners. Lewis has the footwork to mirror receivers, then finds the ball when it’s close. He also averaged 25.2 yards on kick returns last season."
