No. 10 Buffalo Bills: LB/S Jabrill Peppers
School: Michigan
Position: Linebacker/Safety
Class: Junior
Outlook: Buffalo could go any number of directions, but it depends on what direction the new coaching staff wants to go. Quarterback could even be in play if Deshaun Watson, DeShone Kizer or Mitch Trubisky are available. Peppers is a best available player selection. He fits with the Bills defense and his versatility will be an asset to whatever team he lands with. Many teams will question where he plays at the next level, but the right team will select him high with plans to use him all over the field. Peppers was even involved in the return game at Michigan. (Getty)
Jabrill Peppers is already ahead of the offense as a New York Giant.
Mother’s Day is next Sunday and the Giants safety awarded his mother, Ivory Bryant with a new car.
Peppers documented the moment via his Instagram story.
Last month, the New York Giants acquired Peppers via trade with the Cleveland Browns in echange for Pro Bowl wide receiver, Odell Beckham Jr. Peppers and Browns 2019 draft picks: the 17th and 95th overall were included in the deal.
A native of East Orange, New Jersey, Peppers’ mom will now get to see her son play regularly at Giants home games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
A University of Michigan standout, Peppers also played high school football a stones throw away from MetLife stadium at both Don Bosco Prep and Paramus Catholic.
A cool anecdote per 24/7 Sports:
Ivory Bryant was teaching an adult Bible study in her Englewood, New Jersey classroom when she received a call to inform her that her son Jabrill had been traded to the Giants. That’s when her classroom jumped up and celebrated with a roar.
“It was incredible,” Bryant said.
“I told my class, ‘My son just got traded to the Giants!’ There was a roaring sound that broke out in the classroom. Everybody was just excited for me that I can get to so many more home games and have my son close.”
Peppers and his mom indeed have a strong bond. A single mother, Bryant played a big role in developing him into the man he is today.
Per NJ Advance Media: It was even something that Giants general manager Dave Gettleman mentioned on his conference call with reporters. This is important to note because the Giants have stressed and prioritized high-character players since Gettleman arrived. Ivory had the opportunity to meet and take pictures with Jabrill when he visited the team facility to take his physical.
“It’s still so surreal for me,” Bryant said. “When he was playing Pop Warner football — or even throughout college — you hear that not everyone makes it to the NFL.
“To have my son be one of those who made it, there is an unspeakable joy and pride that I cannot explain, as any parent would feel when their child achieves whatever goal they set for themselves.”
She’s always been in his corner.
“I think that when you grow up in an urban area, there are stereotypes that are attached,” Bryant told me during an interview before Peppers’ college recruiting process.
“He’s defying all odds. He’s more than a one dimensional kid. If you work hard and stay focused, you can achieve your dream.”
The 25th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Peppers played 29 games in two seasons with the Cleveland Browns and totaled 139 tackles. He also snagged 1 interception in each of his 2 seasons with Cleveland.
Peppers has a host of people in his corner, including Vin Brown, one-third of the Grammy Award winning hip hop group, Naughty by Nature.
Brown grew up with Peppers’ father Terry in East Orange, NJ. Upon hearing the news of the Giants’ trade, he was beyond ecstatic.
“That’s great man,” Brown told Reginald Calixte and I on the Scoop B & Reg Podcast.
“A lot of people were upset about the trade with Odell. But I’m like: ‘wow, our homeboy gets to come home, man.’ And [he] gets to show out! He gets to show what he knows. I haven’t even spoken to him about it yet, but I spoke to his mother the other day. So that was a good thing. Don Sperling, he’s the marketing guy over with the Giants, so he was like: Yeah man it’s good to see him coming in.’ So they’re going to do a feature on us. Hopefully they can get to the Super Bowl again, you never know.”