New York Giants Top 7 Most Critical Players of 2020: S Jabrill Peppers
Giants defensive back Jabrill Peppers became a prominent part of recent Giants history before putting on a blue jersey.
The trade that sent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to Cleveland last year brought Peppers to New York as the lone established player among two draft picks that the Giants' netted.
Right away, expectations were high for Peppers, a New Jersey native who not only was tied to the Beckham trade but who was slotted in to replace the popular Landon Collins, whom the Giants let leave via free agency to Washington.
Peppers delivered until a season-ending back injury suffered in Week 12 put him on the shelf. Primarily a box safety, he also played free safety, slot cornerback, and some wide cornerback and defensive line in his first season as a Giant.
He led the Giants defensive secondary with 11 total pressures, showing off his fine blitzing ability. He also finished with the best NFL rating of the Giants defensive backs with a 78.8 mark, finishing as one of the three defensive backs to record an interception in 2019.
And as a punt returner, Peppers averaged a very respectable 12.3 yards per return, showing no fear of fighting for those extra yards.
Flipping the page to 2020, Peppers figures to have just as significant and critical a role in defensive coordinator Patrick Graham's defense. Peppers will likely be deployed as a box safety, but he has the size, speed, and athleticism to serve as a pseudo linebacker in the three-safety set.
This summer, he's also shown himself capable of staying with the highly athletic and talented Evan Engram, lending hope that perhaps given the scheme and his talents, the Giants will finally keep opposing tight ends from gashing them up the middle of the field.
Giants head coach joe Judge is excited to unleash Peppers on unsuspecting offenses this year.
“With his skill set, he's going to factor into a lot of sub-packages,” Judge said.
“Traditionally you've seen him play a lot in the box in different schemes and roles. He has that body type that fits that, but he's going to have to be able to play the deep part of the field as well as the box for us.”
Peppers had a pretty good, if shortened season last year, but given the changeup in the defensive philosophy, he has a chance this year to top what he did in 2019.
