Scouting Profile: J.J. Pegues - IDL - Ole Miss
Sales Pitch: Former TE w/ rare lateral movement skills. Athletic ability and strength to be a plus player in the B-gap but lacks consistency in effort and production.
*Gold Numbers Indicate NCAA T-25 for 2024*
*Red Numbers Indicate NCAA B-25 for 2024*
Scouting Report
J. J. Pegues is a former 4-Star TE recruit from the state of Mississippi. He began his collegiate career at Auburn,, transitioning to IDL after his Freshman year, before transferring to Ole Miss in 2022. Pegues was one of the most unique players in college football in 2024, starting 11 games at DT and receiving All-SEC honors, as well as moonlighting as the Rebels FB where he scored 7 TD.
Pegues is a well built lineman with a compact frame and thick hips. As a former TE, he is an excellent athlete with rare lateral movement skills for the position. Pegues is a strong speed rusher with the quickness to win up the filed and the change of direction skills to counter across the face of aggressive blockers. He has quick active hands to clear his frame as a rusher, showing a strong swim and rip move. Pegues has good pop in his hands to knockback linemen as a power rusher. He smoothly transitions strength from his hips into his strikes out of his stance. He also shows good contact balance and body lean to bend into the pocket and finish plays. Pegues is best as a run defender when attacking upfield. His first step and quick hands allow him to shed blockers and win upfield. His change of direction skills allow him to smoothly redirect and chase ball carriers to the sideline on horizontal runs. Pegues is a versatile player capable of lining up anywhere from 5T to head up nose tackle. His movement skills make him a weapon on stunts and twists, because he is comfortable winning around the edge as a rusher.
Pegues is a talented player but his play is inconsistent. His motor, particularly as a pursuit defender, runs very hot and cold. When he is turned up for a play his blend of size and speed is difficult for most linemen to contain, but the light isn’t always on. As a rusher Pegues impact falls off a cliff the longer a play goes. When he cannot win quickly, his rush will stall due to a lack of counters. Pegues gets pushed around far more than a player of his stature should in the run game. Inconsistent pad level allows blockers to get under his pads and drive him out of the play. He frequently gets caught with turned shoulders, particularly against double teams, and is removed easily from the point of attack. Despite his foot quickness to match move blocks, he takes poor pursuit angles and can be cut off by lineman at their landmarks. Pegues also has short arms which limits his ability to control reps. He doesn’t display a favorable projection to two-gap schemes as a result.
Pegues profiles as a B-gap player in either an odd or even front. His strength, movement skills and versatility make for an intriguing package as a rush first DT/DE, but he must get more consistent. Pegues projects as a Top-100 pick who is a rotational rusher with starting upside if he can polish up his game.