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Which 5 NY Giants are most vital to the defense?

By David Solow

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 04: Blake Martinez #54 of the New York Giants celebrates a tackle with teammate Leonard Williams #99 during the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on October 04, 2020 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 04: Blake Martinez #54 of the New York Giants celebrates a tackle with teammate Leonard Williams #99 during the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on October 04, 2020 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /
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NY Giants
New York Giants safety Jabrill Peppers (Image via The Record) /

NY Giants’ 5th Most Essential Defender: Jabrill Peppers

Position: Strong Safety

Positional Value: Not Listed

What makes him a great defensive player?: 

Jabrill Peppers is still an ascending player that separated himself as the NY Giants’ best all-around safety in 2020. He is awesome at making tackles behind the line of scrimmage on WR screens and reverses. The safety Dave Gettleman acquired in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade is getting better in coverage, which is probably his biggest weakness as a player.

Peppers brings a sense of athleticism and energy that the defense desperately needs. With the addition of Adoree’ Jackson, Patrick Graham will likely play much more man coverage in 2021, which means he could be used as a blitzer a lot this season.

The former Michigan Wolverine is capable of being among the team leaders in sacks, the same way Jamal Adams was for the Seattle Seahawks in 2020.

How would the NY Giants fare without him?

The NY Giants may have the best safety depth in the NFL.

Xavier McKinney and Julian Love, New York’s backup safeties, would both start for many other teams. The front office has been hesitant to sign Peppers long-term and allocate more resources to the position before the team 100% sees what they have in Xavier McKinney. Another reason Peppers isn’t higher on this list is that strong safeties aren’t as valuable as free safeties.

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