Auburn football: Owen Pappoe calls this LB breakout player of 2023

The Auburn football team sent six players to this year’s NFL Combine, many of whom had roles in the locker room that were just as important as their roles on the field. One of those players is undoubtedly Owen Pappoe.

Nicknamed “the freak” for good reason, Pappoe started at linebacker as a true freshman and was a starter for the three seasons afterward, as well. Ahead of the 2022 season, he was a Butkus Award finalist and was only the fourth Auburn football player in program history to be selected as a team captain for a second consecutive season.

Throughout his four years on the Plains, Pappoe racked up 256 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, eight sacks, two interceptions, nine passes deflected, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Despite an injury that limited him to just five games during the 2021 season, Pappoe remained a vocal leader on the team, and leaves big shoes to fill in the Tigers’ linebackers corps.

At the NFL Combine this week, where he posted the fastest 40 time of all linebackers, Pappoe told the media who fans can expect to be a major breakout player this fall in the first season of the Hugh Freeze era, per Auburn Undercover:

"“I would say Wesley Steiner,” Pappoe said this week at the NFL Combine, when asked who could be a breakout player on Auburn’s defense in 2023. “He’s going to surprise a lot of people. Athletically, he’s a freak who has all the measurables. A really smart guy, he’s going to be out there commanding the defense. I’m excited to see what he does this year.”"

Wesley Steiner is heading in to his senior season on the Plains, and is in the perfect position to become a leader under new LB coach Josh Aldridge. In his three years in orange and blue, Steiner has recorded 70 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in 34 games.