Owen Pappoe wants to prove that he’s worthy of his nickname this week at the NFL Combine.

The former Auburn linebacker, nicknamed Freak, hopes to put on a show when he takes the field at Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday afternoon when workouts begin in Indianapolis, as he sets out to show NFL franchises he’s worth investing in during next month’s draft.

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“(I’m going to) go out there and do what I do,” Pappoe said. “People can look into my past and see what I’ve done and expect to see similar come tomorrow.”

That past Pappoe is referring to comes from his time as a recruit, when he garnered plenty of attention as a five-star prospect out of Grayson High in Lawrenceville, Ga. Pappoe was the top-rated linebacker in the 2019 class, a top-25 recruit nationally and earned a reputation as a freak athlete when he broke the Nike SPARQ (speed, power, agility, reaction and quickness) all-time scoring record at The Opening while in high school.

The SPARQ testing compiles results from the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, vertical jump and kneeling power ball toss. Pappoe’s overall score of 147.12 in 2018 was a full 3.36 points better than the next-closest athlete, and he finished ahead of the likes of Derek Stingley (the No. 3 overall pick in last year’s draft) and Nolan Smith (a projected first-rounder this year).

Pappoe recorded a 4.47 in the 40, a 4-second shuttle time and a 40-inch vertical. That was five years ago, of course, and Pappoe has had time to further develop on and off the field. He’s eager to show that this week in Indianapolis, and he has specific time and measurement goals he wants to achieve during his workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium—but he didn’t want to tip his hand or give too much of a preview of what to expect.

“I got them, but I want everybody to see them once I do them tomorrow,” Pappoe said.

The 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker is confident he’ll live up to his nickname, which he first earned as an eighth-grader, when his defensive coordinator at the time told him he reminded him of Jevon Kearse, the former Florida All-America defensive end who enjoyed an 11-year NFL career and was the league’s Rookie of the Year in 1999. Kearse, of course, was nicknamed “The Freak” due to his speed, wingspan and vertical leaping ability.

Pappoe earned that name similarly.

“Just going to camps and stuff, man, putting up crazy numbers and just athletically what I do on the field,” he said. “…They ended up giving me that nickname, and it stuck from that point on.”

It followed him throughout his Auburn career, too. Pappoe was the highest-rated signee in the Tigers’ 2019 class and was a Day 1 starter at linebacker that season. He appeared in and started 41 games over the last four years despite missing a chunk of time as a junior due to an ankle injury that limited him to just five games.

He finished his Auburn career with 256 total tackles — with a team-leading 93 as a senior — to go with 15 tackles for loss, eight sacks, a pair of interceptions and seven pass breakups. Now he’s ready to take the next step in his football journey with an NFL team.

“(I want teams to see) that they’re looking at a guy who’s very serious about his craft, that I’m going to be putting in the extra work to be sure of that,” Pappoe said. “I’m going to be the best I can for the team, that I’m looking forward to my rookie season, just earning the respect of everyone in that organization knowing I could potentially be a guy to help lead that defense.”

While Pappoe’s skillset is his own, he pointed to three current NFL linebackers he looks up to and tries to study film of: Rams standout Bobby Wagner for his ability to shed blocks; the 49ers’ Fred Warner, who he called the most complete linebacker in the league; and the Vikings’ Eric Kendricks, whose pass-coverage skills he admires.

Pappoe, who expects to play Mike or Will at the next level, believes his game will translate well to the league and that teams will be impressed with his own pass-coverage ability. But his best attribute, he said, will be his speed, noting he’s confident he “can run with the best of them.”

That’s something he’ll get to showcase Thursday at the Combine.

“I feel like I’m one of the most athletic linebackers in this draft,” Pappoe said. “Instinctually, I’m sound as well — taking on blocks, just leadership on the field, being an effective communicator. I feel like teams can trust me to make the calls out there, put the green dot on my helmet.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.