Jabrill Peppers facts for kids
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Peppers with the New York Giants in 2020
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| No. 5 – New England Patriots | |||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Safety | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: | October 4, 1995 East Orange, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 217 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Paramus Catholic (Paramus, New Jersey) |
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| College: | Michigan (2014–2016) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2017 / Round: 1 / Pick: 25 | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||||
Jabrill Ahmad Peppers (born October 4, 1995) is an American professional football player. He plays as a safety for the New England Patriots in the National Football League (NFL).
Before joining the NFL, Jabrill was a top college football player for the Michigan Wolverines. In 2016, he was named a Unanimous All-American, which means he was recognized as one of the best college players in the country by many different groups. He also won several awards in the Big Ten Conference, including Defensive Player of the Year. The Cleveland Browns picked him in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft. He has also played for the New York Giants.
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Early Life and High School Football
Jabrill Peppers grew up in East Orange, New Jersey. He started his high school football career at Don Bosco Preparatory High School. There, he played as a cornerback and later as a running back. With Jabrill on the team, Don Bosco won two New Jersey state championships in 2010 and 2011. In 2011, his team was even ranked as the best in the nation by USA Today.
Later, Peppers moved to Paramus Catholic High School. He continued his winning streak, helping the Paladins win state championships in 2012 and 2013. This meant he won a state championship every year of his high school career! After his junior year, he was named Player of the Year by MSG Varsity. He also played in the 2013–14 Under Armour All-America Game, which features top high school players.
Fast on the Track
Jabrill wasn't just great at football; he was also an amazing track athlete. He set a New Jersey record for the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.77 seconds. His personal best in the 100 meters is an even faster 10.51 seconds. In his senior year, he won both the 100 and 200-meter dashes at New Jersey's 2013 Meet of Champions. This was a rare achievement, showing his incredible speed.
Becoming a Top Recruit
Because of his amazing skills, Jabrill was considered one of the best high school football players in the country. Rivals.com and ESPN both ranked him very highly. On May 26, 2013, he announced on ESPN that he would play college football for the Michigan Wolverines. He was seen as the most important player in Michigan's group of new recruits for 2014.
College Career at Michigan
Jabrill Peppers started his college career at Michigan in 2014. He played in three games but got injured early on. Because of this, he was "redshirted," which means he didn't play for the rest of the season. This allowed him to keep a year of eligibility for future seasons.
In 2015, with a new coach, Jim Harbaugh, Jabrill had a fantastic season. He was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He also made the All-Big Ten defensive first-team and was a Second-team All-American. He played in 12 games, showing how versatile he was by playing defense, offense, and special teams. On defense, he made 45 tackles. On special teams, he returned punts and kickoffs for many yards. He even scored two touchdowns on offense!
Standout Season in 2016
The 2016 season was even better for Jabrill. After a great game against Colorado, he won several awards, including Walter Camp FBS Player of the Week. He was the first player in his conference to be named both Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Week at the same time. He had a career-high nine tackles in that game and even returned a punt for a touchdown.
After the 2016 season, Jabrill won many major awards. He was named the Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year, Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year, and Rodgers-White Return Specialist of the Year. He was also a Unanimous All-American. He was the first player in Big Ten history to win three individual awards in one year. He made 72 tackles, 16 tackles-for-loss, and four sacks. He also continued to excel on special teams, returning punts and kickoffs. On offense, he rushed for 167 yards and three touchdowns. He won the Paul Hornung Award for being the most versatile college football player and the Lott Trophy. Jabrill played in 15 different positions during the season, showing his amazing adaptability. He finished fifth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, which is given to the most outstanding player in college football.
On January 10, 2017, Jabrill decided to enter the 2017 NFL Draft, giving up his last two years of college eligibility.
College Statistics
Jabrill's college stats show how much he contributed to his team:
| Season | Team | GP | Defense | Rushing | Receiving | Punt return | Kick return | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Tckl | TfL | Sck | PD | Int | FF | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||
| 2014 | Michigan | 3 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | Michigan | 12 | 45 | 5.5 | 0.0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 72 | 4.0 | 2 | 8 | 79 | 9.9 | 0 | 17 | 194 | 11.4 | 41 | 0 | 9 | 223 | 27.9 | 49 | 0 |
| 2016 | Michigan | 12 | 72 | 13.0 | 4.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 167 | 6.2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 21 | 310 | 14.8 | 54 | 1 | 10 | 260 | 26.0 | 55 | 0 |
| Totals | 27 | 125 | 18.5 | 4.0 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 45 | 239 | 5.3 | 5 | 10 | 82 | 8.2 | 0 | 39 | 510 | 13.1 | 54 | 1 | 19 | 483 | 25.4 | 55 | 0 | |
Professional Career in the NFL
Jabrill Peppers was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine before the NFL Draft. This is where college players show off their skills to NFL teams. He performed well in many drills, showing his speed and athleticism. Experts believed he would be picked in the first or second round of the draft.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic | ||
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| 5 ft 10+7⁄8 in (1.80 m) |
213 lb (97 kg) |
30+3⁄4 in (0.78 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.46 s | 1.54 s | 2.62 s | 35.5 in (0.90 m) |
10 ft 8 in (3.25 m) |
19 reps | 26 | ||
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Cleveland Browns
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The Cleveland Browns chose Jabrill Peppers in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, as the 25th overall pick. He was the third safety chosen that year. In July 2017, he signed a four-year contract with the Browns.
In his first season (2017), Peppers started as the free safety for the Browns. He also returned kicks and punts. He played in 13 games, making 57 tackles and one interception. He also had many yards returning kicks and punts. The Browns had a tough season, finishing with no wins.
In 2018, Peppers moved to play strong safety. He continued to be a key player, making 6 tackles, an interception, and a game-winning sack in a game against the Denver Broncos.
New York Giants
In March 2019, Jabrill Peppers was traded to the New York Giants. In his first season with the Giants, he showed his playmaking ability. In one game, he scored a "pick six" (an interception returned for a touchdown) against the Washington Redskins. He also had a game with 12 tackles and forced a fumble against the Dallas Cowboys.
Unfortunately, Jabrill suffered an injury in Week 11 of the 2019 season and was placed on injured reserve, ending his season early.
In 2020, the Giants kept Peppers for another year. He was named a captain for the special teams unit. He continued to make big plays, including a sack against the Philadelphia Eagles. In a game against the Washington Football Team, he intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble. For the 2020 season, he played in 15 games, making 91 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one interception, and 11 pass deflections.
In 2021, Jabrill's season ended early again after he suffered a knee injury in Week 7.
New England Patriots
On April 4, 2022, Jabrill Peppers signed a one-year contract to play for the New England Patriots. He re-signed with the Patriots for two more years on March 17, 2023, and changed his jersey number to 5. On July 26, 2024, he signed a new three-year contract with the team.
Personal Life
Jabrill Peppers was raised in East Orange, New Jersey, by his mother, Ivory Bryant. He maintained a high grade point average (GPA) throughout high school. He is also interested in rapping. Jabrill has always been a fan of the Michigan football program and admired former Michigan player Charles Woodson. He even built a friendship with Woodson during his time at Michigan. Jabrill is also a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
Endorsements
In March 2017, Jabrill Peppers signed a multi-year deal with the sports brand Adidas.
