The New York Giants made a blockbuster deal earlier this offseason, trading star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns for a first-round draft pick, a third-rounder, and young safety Jabrill Peppers.
Due to all of the hoopla surrounding the fact that the Giants dealt Beckham and that the draft picks seemed to be considered the main pieces New York got back in the trade, Peppers was largely forgotten about.
But Peppers is hardly a bum.
The 23-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Michigan and grew up a Giants fan in New Jersey, was originally selected by the Browns in the first round (25th pick overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.
So, it's not like the Giants are getting a journeyman or a throw-in here. Peppers was a first-round pick for a reason and has always been considered a pretty solid prospect.
A rough rookie year clouded his career early, but people tended to forget that Peppers, a natural strong safety, was playing out of position at free safety all season, which certainly contributed to his struggles.
This past season, however, Peppers moved back to strong safety and excelled, totaling 79 tackles, a sack, an interception, three fumble recoveries, and five passes defended.
His performance flew under the radar due to the fact that Denzel Ward stole the show in Cleveland's secondary, not to mention the fact that more focus was on the Browns' offense led by Baker Mayfield than its overall shaky defense, but Peppers had a good year in 2018.
Now, the 23-year-old will get to play for the team of which he was a lifelong fan, and the spotlight will be on him to prove that the Giants actually got a good return in the Beckham trade.
New York certainly does not have a ton of overall talent on its defense, as the casual Giants fan probably would not even able to name more than five players on the defensive side of the ball.
However, Peppers is clearly one of the top guys there and, along with Antoine Bethea, Janoris Jenkins, and rookie cornerback Deandre Baker, has a chance to make Big Blue's secondary surprisingly stout.
Of course, when you trade a player like Beckham, it is always difficult to win the deal. Generally, the team that gets the best player wins the trade, and that is true in all sports.
But, we can't ignore the fact that Beckham was viewed as a distraction, so subtracting him from the club could actually make for a looser locker room.
And if Peppers goes on to develop into the star that many expected him to become when he came out of Michigan? Suddenly, the trade is looking like a pretty good one for the Giants, especially if defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence and Oshane Ximines, the two players New York took with the two draft picks it received from the Browns in the deal, end up showing out.
The Giants' future is very murky, but one thing is for sure: some if it will hinge on just how good Peppers becomes and whether or not he can help make Beckham an afterthought.
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