Is Jabrill Peppers a Legitimate Option at Cornerback?
The Giants cornerback position was supposed to be one of the deepest units on the team this year.
With promising young talents like DeAndre Baker, Sam Beal, Corey Ballentine, Julian Love, and Grant Haley on the roster, the Giants added Darnay Holmes and Chris Williamson in the draft and signed veteran James Bradberry to serve as the anchor of the group.
Unfortunately, what was once shaping up to be a deep unit has since taken a significant hit. Baker found himself embroiled in a legal issue in which he's facing four counts of robbery with a firearm related to a May 13 incident in Miramar, Florida.
And Beal, the talented third-round pick in the 2018 supplemental draft who, despite struggling with injuries showed some promise in a small sample size, has decided to opt-out of the 2020 season due to COVI-19 concerns.
It's believed that the Giants will look to add at least another cornerback to the mix, though whether it will be veteran Logan Ryan, the popular choice, remains to be seen.
Before all this happened, Brian Walker, a trainer at DB Academy who worked with Holmes and safety Jabrill Peppers, told Giants Country that he had been training Peppers on some cornerback concepts. Walker opined that Peppers "could be a top corner in the league" if given a chance.
Can he be? And will he get that chance?
Regarding the second question, what we know about the defense Patrick Graham is planning to run is that that he wants it to be fast, physical, and multiple.
And what about the first question? You might initially squint your eyes at that thought, but on a glance, it makes all the sense in the world. If you needed three words to describe Peppers, it would be fast, physical, and multiple.
Peppers is legitimately a Swiss Army knife on a defense. So if you are a defensive coordinator and wanted a corner that could cover various places on the field, then the other two defensive backs with that talent are Peppers and the rookie second-round pick Xavier McKinney.
With that said, the answer to the question of if Peppers can play cornerback isn't exactly a yes or no response.
For instance, if the question is can Peppers play corner the way that free-agent James Bradberry plays corner, the answer would be murky.
However, if the question is if Peppers can he exist in a hybrid defense playing at the cornerback position, the answer is yes.
Let's take a closer look at Peppers in coverage throughout the years and see what elements of his skill set might match up with some of the responsibilities a cornerback holds.
This first clip is Peppers lined up over a tight end for the Washington Football Team. The tight end is running an over route where he goes to the opposite side of the field over the linebackers.
Peppers has the tight end man-to-man. He does a good job of stomping on top of the route, which makes the tight end flatten his route must more than he should.
When the quarterback pulls his guide hand off the ball, Peppers accelerates and undercuts the receiver to intercept the pass and take it back for a touchdown.
This next clip down on the goal line shows off many of Peppers' skills on the football field. The first thing to note is his physicality and tackling ability. He brings a linebacker's mentality to the physical aspects of the game. That means you want him on the field in a goal-line situation.
His awareness is also on display. He is able to diagnose the play-action quickly enough for him to adjust to pass. That is the kind of athleticism that it takes to come forward, turn to run, and accelerate to cover a receiver.
Finally, he shows his ability to make a play. He breaks up a pass that, in many instances, result in touchdowns. You can't get all of that in a typical cornerback.
In the next clip, Peppers is lined up at the top of the screen five yards off the tight end covering him man to man. Despite giving up size, he is able to pattern match the route of a very athletic tight end as they try to run an out-and-up.
Peppers does an excellent job of hand fighting and not allowing the tight end to solely focus on catching the ball. This is a veteran move from a guy who sometimes seems as if he plays the position exclusively.
We have to remember that Peppers was no stranger to locking up man-on-man in high school and college. His versatility and athleticism shine through when given these types of assignments.
This next clip shows Peppers lined up over the tight end for the Buffalo Bills. The tight end uses his body to try and ward off Peppers.
Although he was initially successful, Peppers uses an old and proven effective measure of making up the distance by defensive backs, holding. This allows him to keep the tight end's reception to a minimum.
Many other times, the end is catching that pass and has a chance to gain yardage after the catch. It's this type of gamesmanship and savvy that could allow Peppers to survive on downs when beaten.
This final clip is from Peppers days with the Cleveland Browns playing the Pittsburgh Steelers. This clip isn't of him playing man to man, it is an example of his ridiculous athleticism. He lines up as a defender at the second level playing like a linebacker.
On the snap, he reads pass and drops to the flat. He sees the receiver running vertical and turns up the field to carry the route underneath. The receiver breaks in, and Peppers adjusted, undercut the receiver and intercepted the quarterback's pass.
Final Thoughts: Could Peppers Play Cornerback?
I believe Peppers could play corner. People must remember that at Michigan, he was celebrated in the same way that Wolverines' legend Charles Woodson was when he was in Ann Arbor. Peppers' athleticism is top-notch, and his physicality would make him a nuisance against the bigger-bodied "X" receivers in the league.
That being said, cornerback would not be his best position. The best use of his talent would be to use him as a permanent nickel. He has the physicality to play like a linebacker but the athleticism to cover in the slot.
We have also already seen his effectiveness against athletic tight ends. He would give the defense a level of flexibility rarely seen in an NFL built on specialization.
If the logic behind playing Peppers at corner is that they want to put the best five defensive backs on the field, this is understandable.
If McKinney and Love play safety, and Bradberry mans one side of the field, Peppers is probably the most versatile of the four defensive backs and could make the most sense at corner.
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