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 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||||
Jabrill Ahmad Peppers (born October 4, 1995) is an American professional football safety who plays for the New England Patriots in the National Football League (NFL). He was a top college player for the Michigan Wolverines, earning unanimous All-American honors in 2016. That year, he was also named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Linebacker of the Year, and Return Specialist of the Year. The Cleveland Browns selected Peppers 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 Peppers on the team, Don Bosco won two New Jersey state championships in 2010 and 2011. In 2011, USA Today even ranked them as the top team in the nation.
Peppers then moved to Paramus Catholic High School. He helped his new team win another state championship in 2012. After his junior year, he was named Player of the Year by MSG Varsity. In his senior year, Peppers led Paramus Catholic to yet another state title. This meant he won a state championship in all four years of his high school career! He was also chosen to play in the 2013–14 Under Armour All-America Game.
Track and Field Achievements
Besides football, Peppers was also a very talented track athlete. He set a New Jersey record for the 100-meter dash in his class. His fastest time in the 100 meters was 10.51 seconds. In his senior year, he won both the 100 and 200-meter dashes at New Jersey's 2013 Meet of Champions. He was only the second person ever to achieve this.
Becoming a College Recruit
Recruiting experts like Rivals.com and ESPN saw Peppers as one of the best high school players in the country. ESPN even ranked him as the #1 prospect in his class for a while. On May 26, 2013, Peppers announced on ESPN that he would play college football for the Michigan Wolverines. He was considered the most important player in Michigan's group of new recruits that year.
College Football Career
As a new student at Michigan, Peppers played in three games during his first year. He even started one game. However, he got injured early in the season. Because of this, he was able to "redshirt" that year. This means he could save a year of his college playing time and play later.
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In 2015, Peppers played under a new coach, Jim Harbaugh. After this season, he was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He was also chosen for the All-Big Ten defensive first-team. Many sports news outlets, like CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated, named him a Second-team All-American. He was also a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award, which goes to the most versatile college football player.
Peppers played in 12 games in 2015. He played many different roles, including defense, offense, and special teams. On defense, he made 45 tackles. On special teams, he returned 17 punts for 194 yards and 8 kickoffs for 223 yards. On offense, he caught 8 passes and ran the ball 18 times, scoring two touchdowns.
In 2016, Peppers had an amazing game against Colorado. He was named the Walter Camp FBS Player of the Week and also won two Big Ten Player of the Week awards. He made a career-high nine tackles in that game. He also returned a punt for his first touchdown.
After the 2016 season, Peppers received many major awards. He was named the Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year and the Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year. He also won the Rodgers-White Return Specialist of the Year award. He was recognized as a Unanimous All-American. He became the first player in Big Ten history to win three individual awards in one year. Peppers also won the Paul Hornung Award and the Lott Trophy. He played in 15 different positions during the season, showing how versatile he was. He finished fifth in the voting for the 2016 Heisman Trophy, which is given to the most outstanding player in college football.
On January 10, 2017, Peppers decided to enter the 2017 NFL draft. This meant he would leave college early to play professional football.
College Statistics
| 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 |
| Total | 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 Football Career
Before the NFL Draft, Peppers attended the NFL Scouting Combine. He was ranked as one of the top safeties in the draft by many experts.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 (2017–2018)
The Cleveland Browns chose Jabrill Peppers in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft, as the 25th overall pick. He signed a four-year contract with the team.
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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 kick and punt returns. The Browns finished the 2017 season without any wins.
In 2018, Peppers moved to play strong safety. He continued to be a key player on defense and special teams. In Week 15, he made an interception and a game-winning sack against the Denver Broncos. He finished the 2018 season with 79 tackles, one interception, and one sack.
New York Giants (2019–2021)
On March 13, 2019, Jabrill Peppers was traded to the New York Giants. He became the starting strong safety for the team.
In 2019, Peppers had a strong season. On September 29, he intercepted a pass and returned it 32 yards for his first career touchdown against the Washington Redskins. In Week 9, he made a season-high 12 tackles and forced a fumble. He played in 11 games before an injury ended his season early. He finished with 76 tackles and one interception.
In 2020, the Giants picked up the option on Peppers' contract, keeping him for another year. He remained the starting strong safety and was named a special teams captain. He had a great season, making 91 tackles, one interception, and a career-high 2.5 sacks. He also had one forced fumble.
In 2021, Peppers continued as the starting strong safety. However, his season was cut short in Week 7 when he suffered a serious knee injury. He finished the season with 29 tackles and one sack in six games.
New England Patriots (2022–present)
On April 4, 2022, the New England Patriots signed Peppers to a one-year contract. He joined his former Giants coach, Joe Judge, who was now an assistant coach for the Patriots. Peppers spent his first season with the Patriots recovering from his injury and playing a backup role. He appeared in all 17 games and made 60 tackles.
In 2023, the Patriots signed Peppers to a two-year contract extension. He changed his jersey number to No. 5, which he wore in college. Peppers earned a starting role at free safety. He had a very successful season, making 78 tackles, one sack, and two interceptions. He also had eight pass deflections.
On July 26, 2024, the Patriots signed Peppers to another three-year contract extension. He continued as a starting safety for the team. In Week 4, he intercepted a pass against the San Francisco 49ers. He played in six games before an injury sidelined him for the end of the season. He finished with 40 tackles and one interception.
Personal Life
Jabrill Peppers was raised by his mother, Ivory Bryant, in East Orange, New Jersey. He maintained a high grade point average (GPA) throughout high school. He is also interested in rapping. Peppers has always been a fan of the Michigan Wolverines football team and admired former player Charles Woodson. He even built a friendship with Woodson during his time at Michigan. Peppers is also a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
Endorsements
In 2017, Peppers signed a multi-year contract with the sports brand Adidas.
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