What should the New York Giants expect from Jabrill Peppers in 2020?
The New York Giants invested plenty of capital into bolstering their defensive secondary, and strong safety Jabrill Peppers will likely benefit from the drafting of Xavier McKinney and the increase in experience from their 2019 draft picks. Peppers was traded to the Giants in the deal that sent Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns.
The former first-round pick struggled and his first two seasons in Cleveland, playing both strong safety and free safety. However, under James Bettcher, he moved specifically to the strong safety position and put up substantial numbers in just 11 games.
His 76 combine tackles, five tackles for loss, five passes defended, three forced fumbles, and one interception showed an increase in nearly every court category from the year prior. In addition, he only allowed a 63.9% completion rate against and just one touchdown, decreasing his five TDs allowed in 2018 by four. While he does tend to miss some tackles, logging a 12.6% missed tackle right last season, he has the versatility and athleticism to improve across the board.
Paired with a trustworthy ball hawk in McKinney, Peppers should be able to move closer to the line of scrimmage and play more aggressively against the run, knowing his back is covered.
Clearly, the New York Giants believe they have something special and Peppers, considering they picked up his fifth-year option for 2021. This guarantees him to be on the team for at least two more seasons. While he only ranked as the 41st safety out of 71 in the NFL to play at least 500 snaps last season, according to PFF, his development was evident. He did earn the third-highest pass-rush grade out of that entire group of players.
I am most excited to see Peppers play closer to the line of scrimmage with McKinney in the deeper portion of the secondary. New defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will likely install plenty of three safety looks, moving Peppers, Julian love, and McKinney around the field. It is possible that Peppers could adapt to a de-facto linebacker position on passing downs, While McKinney and Love prowl of the secondary as ballhawks.
Graham likes to utilize man coverage schemes frequently, which could indicate Peppers matching up against tight ends in man. Nonetheless, the Giants are developing a nice trio of safeties, and Peppers remains an integral part of the defense.