Jabrill Peppers

New York Giants Betting on Secondary to Mask Pass Rush Flaws

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New York Giants, Janoris Jenkins

The New York Giants secondary got off to a blazing start in the first practice of OTAs. Both Eli Manning and Daniel Jones struggled passing in their first practice together. Manning with two interceptions, Jones with one.

The most notable of the three picks occurred when second-year cornerback Sam Beal deflected a Manning pass into the arms of newly acquired Jabrill Peppers. Missing the entire 2018 season due to injury, Beal on the field may be a rookie but mentally is a second-year pro. Beal worked with the first team opposite of Janoris Jenkins with Grant Haley in the slot.

An Influx of Talent for the New York Giants at corner

The Giants selected Beal in the third round of the 2018 Supplemental draft and gained praise in their selection. Draft Scout Matt Miller of Bleacher Report wrote an article last July labeling Sam Beal as the best Supplemental draft prospect since Josh Gordon in 2012.

The Supplemental draft takes place each year after the official NFL draft. In most cases, a player who enters the supplemental draft has been deemed ineligible by the NCAA for the upcoming season. More often than not, a player who has entered in the supplemental draft usually comes with off the field issues. Beal, however, was different. Beal was ruled academically ineligible due to poor performance in the classroom.

In the 2017 season, Beal had 10 pass breakups, 26 tackles, a forced fumble, and two interceptions. Perhaps the biggest interception of his career came against former USC and now Jets Quarterback Sam Darnold. Tallied at 6’1, 185 lbs, and running a 4.40 forty yard dash, it is his length mixed with speed that put him on the NFL radar in the first place.

2019 Draft Products

In addition to Beal, The Giants selected All-Americans Deandre Baker (Rd1) and Julian Love (Rd4) in the 2019 NFL Draft. Love was arguably the biggest steal of the draft. If not for an underwhelming 4.54 40 yard dash, Love would have most likely been selected on Day 2 of the draft. He received a second-round grade from the NFL’s college advisory committee. Deandre Baker won the Jim Thorpe Award which represents the Nations Most Outstanding Defensive Back. Julian Love was a finalist for the same award, who is listed right below Baker in the graphic below. 

By passing on Josh Allen at 6, the Giants have shown that they believe in James Bettcher and his ability to create pressure in other ways aside from the edge. In a prior article, I mentioned that it was clear Bettcher’s scheme had to be altered due to a lack of talent on the back end. With the addition of Baker and Love, the hope is that Bettcher will be able to send extra pressure after the quarterback with confidence the secondary can hold its own in 1v1 matchups.

New York Giants: Jabrill Peppers can be exactly what the defense needs

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The New York Giants traded Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns that sent Jabrill Peppers to New York.

When the New York Giants traded Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns, the initial reaction was hostile even before seeing the underwhelming return. However, Big Blue gained defender Jabrill Peppers, a player that didn’t perform at an elite level in his first two NFL seasons.

But, there’s a reason to believe he’s going to elevate his game significantly in 2019. Playing in a James Bettcher defense, Peppers’ skill-set will be utilized to the max. He has stellar coverage abilities for strong safety, and he can also play the run very well.

How did Jabrill Peppers perform in his first New York Giants practice?

In his first OTA practice with the Giants, he recorded an interception and made a handle-full of impressive plays.

After practice head coach Pat Shurmur spoke with the media, stating:

“Jabrill Peppers is super competitive. He loves football. He’s really good in coverage and had an interception already today.”

His diverse skill-set will allow him to play free safety, in the slot, and at the line of scrimmage. The Brown stuck him at free safety in his rookie season which did not end up well. He lacked productivity and didn’t shine as he once did in college for Michigan. He ranked as one of the worst free safeties in the league in 2017, but his efficiency sky-rocketed in 2018.

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Playing in a more “swiss army knife” role last year, he ranked as the #19 strong safety in the NFL, per PFF. He was above average in coverage and saw his total tackles jump from 57 to 79. He also recorded more passes defended (3 in 2017 and 5 in 2018).

Bettcher will utilize him in various different ways in the season ahead, and one part of his game that will stand out is his ability to pick up tight ends in coverage. The Giants have been historically bad at defending pass-catching tight ends, but Peppers should help in that department.

If he can harness his true potential, the Beckham trade might be worth it after all.

New York Giants: Why Jabrill Peppers Will Be The Best Player On The New Defense

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The New York Giants acquired Jabrill Peppers in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade.

The New York Giants have totally revamped their secondary this offseason. They let star safety Landon Collins walk in free agency, then went and drafted three (four if you count Sam Beal) cornerbacks in the 2019 NFL Draft.

But the Giants’ most important addition to their secondary came in their most controversial trade. When the Giants traded away Odell Beckham Jr., they got Jabrill Peppers in return. Jabrill Peppers is a solid young player who will be the centerpiece of the Giants’ new defense.

Jabrill Peppers Stats And Highlights

The Cleveland Browns drafted Jabrill Peppers with the 25th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Peppers was a great safety prospect coming out of Michigan. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com referred to Peppers as “the ultimate Swiss Army Knife on the collegiate level” during the 2017 draft process.

Peppers was a true playmaker coming out of college with 11 passes defended, 1 interception, 3 sacks, and 18.5 tackles for loss in his last two seasons. However, Peppers did not look like the player he has the potential to be while playing in Cleveland.

In his rookie season, Jabrill was a little disappointing. He put up only 57 tackles in 13 games. But this lack of production could be attributed more to the Browns than to Jabrill Peppers. The Browns forced Peppers to play free safety on 88.2% of his defensive snaps in his rookie 2017 campaign. When they decided to move Peppers around in 2018, the results were much better.

The Browns used Peppers as a jack-of-all-trades defensive back in 2018, like he was used in college at Michigan. Most of his snaps were played at safety (281 snaps), but he played a lot of snaps at linebacker (172 snaps), edge (133 snaps), and slot cornerback (108 snaps), too, according to Pro Football Focus.

This lead to a better statistical season from Jabrill Peppers. He played all 16 games and finished with 79 combined tackles, 1 interception, 5 passes defended, 5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries.

Giants’ defensive coordinator James Bettcher has proven that he knows how to use a versatile, hybrid safety. When Bettcher was with the Arizona Cardinals, he helped turn Tyrann Mathieu into a household name. Tyrann was awarded First-Team All-Pro in 2015 for his 89 tackle, 5 interception season.

James Bettcher knows how to get the best performance he can out of his players. Bettcher loves the versatility and Jabrill Peppers is the ultimate versatile safety. Jabrill Peppers will be the best player on the New York Giants’ new defense because of his versatile skill set and perfect match with Giants defensive coordinator James Bettcher.

New York Giants: Solid Free Agent Safety Option Still Available

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With the additions of Jabrill Peppers and Antoine Bethea, the New York Giants’ safety positions are in much better shape than they were at the beginning of the offseason. The New York Giants let their star safety, Landon Collins, walk away in free agency and were not left with many talents at the position.

However, general manager Dave Gettleman made it a point to fix the secondary this offseason. The Giants drafted three cornerbacks in the 2019 NFL Draft (four if you count Sam Beal). But they did not draft a safety.

Antoine Bethea is a solid veteran who fits defensive coordinator James Bettcher’s defense. Unfortunately, Bethea probably will not be around for too long, being that he is 34 years old. It would be wise of the Giants to add another young safety to the roster to pair with Peppers.

Luckily for the Giants, there is a solid free agent safety option still available:

Tre Boston Stats And Highlights

Free agent safety Tre Boston would be a solid addition to the Giants’ defense. Boston has been in the NFL for five seasons and has bounced around to three different teams. Most recently, Boston played for the Arizona Cardinals in 2018.

In his lone season with Arizona, Tre Boston was a solid defender against the run and the pass. He tallied up 79 combined tackles, 1 forced fumble, 3 interceptions, and 9 passes defended. No matter where Boston has played, he has been a solid safety.

Tre Boston was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2014. Dave Gettleman was the Panthers’ general manager at the time. This connection could lead the Giants to have some interest in Tre Boston.

Boston was not the full-time starter during his tenure with the Panthers. However, when he left the Panthers to play for the Chargers in 2016, Tre Boston showed what he could do as a full-time starter.

Boston starter 15 games for the Chargers in 2017. In that season, Boston was a true playmaker totaling 5 interceptions and 8 passes defended. He was again solid against the run with 79 combined tackles.

Tre Boston had two solid years of play with two different teams. This demonstrates his true young talent and his ability to handle adversity. At only 26 years old, if the Giants sign Tre Boston, they will be getting a dependable young safety to pair with Jabrill Peppers for the future.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUY83saY2LQ

What The New York Giants Got In Return From The Odell Beckham Jr. Trade

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The New York Giants shocked the NFL world in March when they traded away their star player days before free agency began. The Giants traded wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. after five impressive, yet controversial seasons with the team.

The New York Giants traded Odell in exchange for safety Jabrill Peppers and two draft picks (17th overall and 95th overall). Now that the 2019 NFL Draft has concluded, we know exactly what the Giants got in return for Odell. In reality, the Giants got quite a defensive haul.

Jabrill Peppers

The Cleveland Browns drafted safety Jabrill Peppers with the 25th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Peppers had an up and down career with the Browns before being traded to the Giants in 2019.

Jabrill played 29 games in two seasons with the Browns. Peppers is a great safety in run support. He totaled 139 tackles in his two seasons with Cleveland. However, he is not just a run defender.

Peppers snagged 1 interception in each of his 2 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. He was poor in coverage in his rookie season, however, in his second season, Peppers improved greatly. He recorded 5 passes defended in 2018. According to Pro Football Focus, Peppers’s coverage grade jumped to a 77.3 in 2018 after posting a poor coverage grade of 61.7 in his rookie season.

Jabrill Peppers is an extremely versatile safety. In 2018, Peppers played just about every position on defense. He provided the most of his snaps at the free safety position (281 snaps), but he also contributed 172 snaps at linebacker, 133 snaps at edge, and 108 snaps at slot cornerback.

The Giants filled a big hole by trading for Jabrill Peppers. In the 2019 NFL offseason, the Giants saw their star safety Landon Collins walk away in free agency. Collins signed with the division rival Washington Redskins. The Giants replaced Collins with Peppers. Time will tell whether or not this was a good move for Big Blue.

Dexter Lawrence

With the 17th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected Dexter Lawrence, an interior defensive lineman from Clemson. Lawrence is a mammoth of a human being. he stands tall at 6 feet 4 inches and weighs a whopping 342 pounds.

In 50 career games at Clemson, Dexter Lawrence totaled 131 tackles. He also had 18 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. Dexter is a powerful lineman who excels in stuffing the run. He demonstrated his strength at the Combine with 36 bench reps.

Lawrence has also flashed the ability to push the pocket and apply interior pressure. If he can slim down a little bit, Dexter could become a versatile, pass-rushing and run-stuffing defensive lineman.

Oshane Ximines

The Giants defense lacks pass rusher, but with the 95th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, they finally got one. Oshane Ximines is the first NFL player to ever be drafted from Old Dominion.

Oshane is a solid pass-rusher with tons of potential. He played 50 games in college and recorded impressive numbers. In 50 games, Oshane totaled 32.5 sacks, 51 tackles for loss, and 176 total tackles. He was productive against the run and as a pass-rusher.

The reason Oshane Ximines fell all the way to the 95th pick is his lack of size. He weighs in at 253 pounds and is listed at 6 feet and 3 inches. This is considered undersized in the NFL at the edge rusher position. Regardless of size, Ximines has the strength and talent to succeed at the next level. If Oshane Ximinez can fill out his frame a bit, he has the potential to be a stud pass-rusher for the Giants over the next decade.

Each of these players’ careers will always be put under a microscope because of their connection to the Odell trade. It will be interesting to look back at the end of these players’ careers and see who won the Odell Beckham trade.