Marcus Peters arrived at the NFL scouting combine with as much to gain – or lose – from the interviews that take place in Indianapolis.
The talented cornerback also was realistic about what he could do to allay character concerns stemming him from his getting kicked off Washington’s team last November.
“I don’t guarantee anything,” Peters said. “Everyone makes mistakes. All I tell [teams] is that I’ve matured and I’m moving forward.”
Peters is a consensus first-round talent, but cornerback-needy teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers will have to determine how much baggage he totes to the NFL.
Peters clashed with the new staff at Washington last season and had enough run-ins with the coaches to get booted from the team.
But several of Peters’ former Huskies teammates vouched for his character at the combine.
Linebacker Shaq Thompson, who is widely projected as a first-round pick, called Peters a “great teammate” and praised his work ethic.
“He watches a lot of film by himself,” Thompson said. “He was always trying to get better. That’s what I liked about his game.”
A couple of things should help Peters as he tries to convince teams he is not a character risk: He has owned the mistakes he made last season and also has made peace with Washington coach Chris Petersen.
Petersen, in fact, invited Peters to take part in Washington’s pro day at the beginning of April after the two met a couple of weeks ago.
“We sat down and we talked about everything that happened,” Peters said. “I sincerely apologized to him again for what I put him and the team through throughout this year.”
Peters will likely take a sense of urgency into Washington’s Pro Day after he was among the cornerbacks who turned in underwhelming 40-yard dash times on Monday.
Peters ran the 40 in 4.54 seconds, a time the 5-foot-11 1/2, 197-pounder will try to improve on at Washington’s pro day. He also has to hope the background checks that take place in advance of the draft bolster his attempts to rehabilitate his image.
“I really think in my heart that I’m a real good teammate,” Peters said. “I’m not so much vocal but on everything else I just go out there and I bring everything to the table for my teammates. I made some immature decision and I live from them and I learn from them and I grow as a man.”