Derek Pegues DB 5'10 199 Mississippi St. 4.56

Pegues saw action as a freshman as a reserve corner and special teamer, finishing with 14 tackles and a 20 yard kick off return average. He quickly established himself as a playmaker as a sophomore, earning All SEC honors at CB. He finished the year with 32 tackles and four interceptions. Pegues also averaged over 23 yards per kick return and 14 yards per punt return, taking one punt back for a touchdown. As a junior, Pegus shifted over to free safety and was again named to the All SEC team after the season. This time he had 50 tackles and five interceptions to go along with a 22 yard kickoff return average and just under 10 yards per punt return with one of them taken back for a TD. Pegues had 50 tackles as a senior to go with two picks, while averaging 6.6 yards per punt and just under 23 yards per kick return.

Strengths

Pegues has proven himself to be a very versatile performer on the football field. He has been a standout at corner, safety, and as a return specialist and he may be able to do all three at the next level. He is a very good athlete with great natural football instincts. He simply knows where to be on the field to make plays, no matter what his role is. Pegues is quick and can change direction well to keep up in pass coverage. His best asset on defense is his ball skills, as he shows the ability to pick up the ball in the air and break up the action. Pegues is also a threat to score once the ball is in his hands. He has two punt returns for scores and has also returned three interceptions for touchdowns.

Weaknesses

Pegues may be a bit of a tweener at the next level. His size is average for a corner, and below average at safety. He has a stocky build but is on the short side. That limits his ability against taller receivers at both spots. He may also lack the recovery speed to play corner in the NFL but it should not be a major problem at safety.

Future

Derek Pegues has been a playmaker during his career with the Bulldogs and he has the talent to be one in the NFL if he can find a defined role in a defense. He will project at corner for some teams and safety others. He is a natural football player so he should find a home in the league, and at the very least, provide depth at both corner and safety for a team.