Jabrill Peppers: A spicy superhero in a headband
Jabrill Peppers is a strong safety for the New York Giants. He’s one of the more versatile players in the NFL, as he often comes down from his safety position to act as a linebacker when lining up in “the box”. He recently tore his ACL and was declared out for the season, but Peppers had been a solid player for the Giants.
Peppers attended high school at Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, known for being one of the best high schools for football in the northeast region. Nearly every game Peppers played, he had his signature headband along with him. You could almost call his head equipment a headband-helmet. It sounds corny, but he wore his signature headband as much as he wore his most vital piece of equipment. Coming out of high school, Peppers was ranked as the number 2 recruit in the entire country, with 5 stars and a whole bunch of offers. Peppers eventually decided to take his talents to Ann Arbor, playing for the University of Michigan.
In Peppers’ stint at Michigan, he was an absolute stud. Peppers was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Linebacker of the Year, Return Specialist of the year, and was also named an
All-American in 2016. Peppers recorded 66 total tackles along with 13 tackles for loss, and also had 21 returns for 310 yards and a touchdown. 13 tackles for loss is an insane stat, especially considering the amount of games college teams play. Sporting his headband, he truly played like a first rounder- and a first rounder he was in 2017, when the Browns took him with the 25th pick in the draft.
A headband change that came along with the change to the Browns, Jabrill changed his position officially from linebacker to safety. He wasn’t all that effective for the Browns, having a few disappointing seasons. His 2019 season was alright, with 79 combined tackles, and 1 interception. Then, everything changed when he was sent to New York along with a pick in exchange for Odell Beckham Jr. His headband changed to blue, and the Giants started to move him into the box. Peppers started generating pressure and started making plays for the Giants. His 2020 season finally showed the Giants what they had been looking for. In 2020, he recorded 91 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, an interception, and 11 passes defended. The Giants were finally starting to be happy with what they got from trading Odell away. After every win, you could see Jabrill with his headband, helmet off, running around the field celebrating. He continued to be pretty solid for the Giants, especially this year before he got hurt.
Peppers’ contract with the Giants expires this offseason, meaning he’ll test free agency. Will the Giants re-sign him or will they let him walk just one year after his good season. No matter where he goes, I’m sure he’ll be fine as long as he has his trusty and fashionable headband