When Aeneas Peebles stepped onto the field for his first practice as a Raven, he had flashbacks to playing backyard football as a kid.
For Peebles, playing professional football has not only been a dream, but seemingly a destiny.
Peebles' grandfather, Doug Wilkerson, was a first-round pick in 1970 who played 15 seasons in the NFL at defensive end and offensive guard, making three Pro Bowls. His father was an All-American defensive lineman at Appalachian State who briefly played Arena League football for the Charlotte Rage.
The three generations talked and played a lot of football together over the years, and it came flooding back for Peebles at rookie minicamp.
"I'd just say it's everything I dreamed of," Peebles said. "It really takes me back to when I was a young kid playing in the backyard, envisioning all those fourth-and-longs, and third-and 15's for the win. Just being here and being in this amazing football environment and this culture of winning, it just takes me back to when I was a child."
It didn't take long for the projections to start for Peebles. He was named after Hall of Fame defensive back Aeneas Williams. His brother was named after wide receiver Braylon Edwards.
Peebles carved out his own name. When he was a baby, his family called him "fubby," a mixture of fat and chubby. When he got older, it got shortened to "Fub," which is the name he now goes by. He wore a big "Fub" chain on the day he was drafted.
What's ironic is that it's Peebles' lack of size at 6-foot, 282 pounds that likely led to him being drafted later than expected.
A late sixth-round pick (No. 210), Peebles was projected to be picked much higher. The Athletic's Dane Brugler had him as a third- or fourth-round prospect and his No. 17-ranked defensive tackle.
"Whether that had to do with the NFL Draft, or whether that had to do with just how I came up in high school, I just feel like I've always had that chip on my shoulder, and it's helped to get me here," Peebles said. "So, I just continue to let that fuel me."
While Peebles' size raised questions, his tape provides answers to how he could thrive in the NFL. He's adept at shooting gaps and using his quickness to beat blockers and get into the backfield.
Peebles' 37 pressures last season at Virginia Tech ranked third among all FBS interior defensive linemen, and he also had the third-highest pressure rate (12%). His 91.2 pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus was tops in the class.
Peebles was one of Head Coach John Harbaugh's favorite defensive linemen. Like Harbaugh's father, Peebles' dad has reviewed tape with his son for many years, grooming him for this opportunity.
"From as early as I can remember, I always imagined playing in the NFL, and thankfully, something I don't take for granted is I had a lot of good role models," Peebles said. "So, it was always a dream for me growing up, and I'm just proud of myself, and I owe it to [them] to keep this thing going."
