Is Pegues more than just a gimmick player in the NFL?
Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter will likely be one of the very first players off the board in April’s draft. He has the potential to be an impact cornerback or an impact wide receiver, and his two-way skill set is rare at the NFL level.
But Hunter isn’t the only two-way threat in the 2025 NFL Draft. Ole Miss defensive tackle J.J. Pegues was nearly an every-down defender who lined up across their defensive front — and was also second on the team in rushing touchdowns.
Pegues is an intriguing option at the defensive tackle position. He was largely overshadowed by the more high-profile prospects on the Ole Miss roster, but has shown good development since the 2023 season, with improved technique, quickness, and agility. His improvement as an athlete likely led to Ole Miss to use him in their backfield.
Could the Giants select Pegues to help reinforce their defensive line, as well as add some heft to their backfield?
Prospect: J.J. Pegues (38)
Games Watched: vs. Georgia (2023), vs. LSU (2024), vs. Arkansas (2024), vs. Georgia (2024)
Measurables
Height: 6-foot-2 (estimated)
Weight: 320 pounds (estimated)
Strengths
Best traits
- Versatility
- Play strength
- Initial quickness
- Competitive toughness
J.J. Pegues is a stout defensive tackle with surprising first-step quickness as well as enough agility to play all over the Ole Miss defensive front. His 6-foot-2, 320-pound build is a natural fit at nose tackle, but he was also used as a B-gap defender and even as a true EDGE and even rush linebacker on occasion.
He has shown remarkable growth as a technician, as well as greatly improved athleticism, between 2023 and 2024. He is now a refined technician who understands how to use his hands to neutralize blocks and rushes with a defined plan from snap-to-snap. Pegues has built his pass rush repertoire around his strengths, utilizing a bull rush, push-pull move, and club-rip to attack blockers in a variety of ways while maximizing his power and leverage.
Pegues is also a dependable run defender from a variety of alignments. He’s able to hold against double teams as an A-gap defender, clogging gaps and allowing his teammates to flow to the ball. Likewise, he can neutralize blocks as a B-gap (or C-gap) defender to make plays off the ball carrier. He also has great competitive toughness and is quick to redirect and pursue the ball carrier through the whistle.
It’s also notable that Pegues offers “two-way” upside and his improved athleticism in 2024 came with opportunities on offense. But where some teams will use defensive tackles as fullbacks or extra linemen, Pegues was the short yardage back for Ole Miss. It’s a role in which he excelled and was actually second on the team in rushing touchdowns with 7.
He actually has solid vision as a ball carrier, and starting from behind center allows him to make use of his burst and build-up speed to be a player no linebacker wants to tackle.
Weaknesses
Worst traits
- Acceleration
- Over-aggression
Pegues has an odd athletic profile. While he has solid initial quickness off the ball, he lacks great – or even good – acceleration. There’s a noticeable disconnect between his first step and how much ground he gains with his second and third steps.
That disconnect forces him to rely heavily on his hands as a pass rusher. And while he showed remarkable improvement between 2023 and 2024, he has few answers if his initial rush is stymied by a technically sound blocker. Pegues’ other option is to be highly aggressive in attacking rushing lanes, but that can get him in trouble as well. There are instances where he can run himself out of the play or create opportunities for quarterbacks to scramble in his search for a way into the backfield.
There are also occasions where Pegues can lose track of the ball in the backfield and over-commit to misdirection. He gives great effort in pursuit, but won’t run down many ball carriers if he takes himself out of position.
Game Tape
(Pegues is the Ole Miss defensive tackle wearing number 38 with red sleeves on his forearms)
Projection
J.J. Pegues projects as a rotational defensive tackle at the NFL level with scheme and alignment diversity.
He should be able to play from multiple alignments for any one-gap “multiple” defensive scheme run at the NFL level. Although, Pegues probably shouldn’t be used as an edge defender at the NFL level – at least outside of “jumbo” packages in short-yardage situations.
He lacks the second step acceleration to be a truly consistent threat as a pass rusher, which could keep teams from viewing him as a starter or a regular option on early downs. However, he’s a good enough pass rusher and run defender that a team should feel confident rotating him onto the field in most situations.
It will be absolutely fascinating to see if his future NFL team takes a page from Lane Kiffin’s book and gives Pegues the opportunity to play on offense. The speed of the game at the NFL level may make Pegues ineffective as a short-yardage back, however it would be a potentially terrifying wrinkle. That could be doubly true if he’s paired with an offense that also boasts speed options to stretch and stress the defense.
Does he fit the Giants?
Yes
Final Word: A later Day 2 value
