Taybor Pepper receives 'jaw-dropping' Madden overall grade increase
By Peter Panacy
![San Francisco 49ers long-snapper Taybor Pepper (46) San Francisco 49ers long-snapper Taybor Pepper (46)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6520,h_3667,x_0,y_680/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/42/01j47f4afe5dz6ptrez6.jpg)
Long-snappers don't receive a ton of attention, but it's worth paying attention to the 49ers' own, Taybor Pepper, when it comes to Madden.
Every year, Niner Noise runs through a series of "who is?" articles, breaking down each player on the San Francisco 49ers' offseason roster and what challenges are on the horizon.
For a long-snapper like Taybor Pepper, there's not a lot to write about. As long as he's not noticed on the field for doing anything wrong (botching a snap, etc.), he's doing his job without much thanks or praise.
Aside from a modestly humorous social media presence, the 30-year-old Pepper isn't talked about much.
However, there is a circle in which Pepper can receive some entertaining discussion points.
EA Sports' hit video game series, Madden.
Taybor Pepper sees his lowly Madden 25 grade increase by 1 point
A year ago, during Madden's release of overall player grades, Pepper received a whopping 27 overall grade.
For those not familiar with the game, that's awfully low.
Now, it's important to note that Pepper was graded as a tight end, as the game doesn't account for long-snapper grades. So, from that vantage point, the grade makes some sense. Over his lengthy career, Pepper has seen just one offensive snap, and that came with the Miami Dolphins way back in 2019.
But, Pepper's Madden stock is on the rise.
He's now rated at a 28 overall, up by a single point from last season, which prompted yet another hilarious response from the veteran special teams ace:
I am inevitable https://t.co/hbvvVcZyp0 pic.twitter.com/HuEYK0ppKV
— Taybor Pepper (@TayborSnapping) August 1, 2024
Judging by this trajectory, Pepper will eventually join the elite 99 Club of Madden players 71 years from now when he's 101 years old.
As he said, Pepper is "inevitable."
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