Ranking every Cleveland Browns first round draft pick since 1999
By Chad Porto
8. S Jabrill Peppers, 2017 – 25th
Jabrill Peppers is a good player who doesn’t get the respect he deserves, partly due to the fact he played on a horrid New York Giants team the last there years. I firmly believe if Peppers was on the Browns in 2020 and they didn’t have to rely on guys like Ronnie Harrison, the Chad Henne would have never made that first down.
Or maybe he would have, I don’t know, but Peppers was better than anything they had at safety in 2020 and arguably had a better career in New York than the man he was traded for, Odell Beckahm Jr., had in Cleveland.
Peppers anchored a bad Giants defense and nearly made it respectable but that team had far more issues beyond the other 10 defensive players. Peppers is now in New England, signing a one-year deal worth up to $5 million.
If he doesn’t get hurt, he’ll likely improve his stock and get a better deal in 2023. I would be surprised if Peppers doesn’t stick around the league for at least four or five more seasons, as he’s a very unique, versatile player. One the Cleveland Browns would and should want back, especially considering their situation at safety.