Giants safety Jabrill Peppers ready for homecoming

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Giants safety Jabrill Peppers has enjoyed beginning minicamp with his new team.

“It’s been tremendous,” said Peppers, who was traded to the Giants as part of the Odell Beckham, Jr. deal in March. “I definitely feel fortunate. It’s definitely exciting to be here. I spent some of the best years of my life here.”

Peppers is a native of East Orange, N.J., which is 10 miles from the Giants practice facility and MetLife Stadium. Peppers played four straight years at MetLife Stadium while in high school, leading his teams to New Jersey state championships all four times. He was the state player of the year his junior year in 2012.

“I have a lot of great memories here,” Peppers said. “I just want to keep the streak going.”

Peppers went from his high school days in New Jersey to the University of Michigan, where he played for parts of three seasons, playing offense and defense as well as returning punts and kicks. He finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 2016.

The 5-foot-11, 213-pound Peppers was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the 25th pick in the first round of the 2017 draft. Although it was unclear at the time whether Peppers’ true position was linebacker, cornerback or safety, then-Browns coach Hue Jackson said Peppers was going to be the starter at strong safety, where he remained for all 29 of his NFL starts with the Browns.

As he begins a new chapter of his NFL life, the 23-year-old Peppers is determined to make sure he’s not just considered a throw-in to the Beckham trade, that the Giants did the right thing in bringing him home.

“Even before the trade happened, I was ready to pick things up this year,” Peppers said. “I had a responsibility regardless of where I was going to be to be the best player I could be.”

So far in organized team activities and the first day of minicamp Tuesday, Peppers has impressed teammates and the coaching staff with the versatility that got him recognized in high school and college.

“I like playing in various spots,” Peppers said. “I can drop back in coverage and mix up the looks. I definitely like that. I believe everything will go game by game, so we’ll see how it all works out. I’m not too worried about it right now. I’m just soaking it all in right now.”

Giants coach Pat Shurmur has enjoyed Peppers’ approach thus far.

“His leadership already is very exciting,” Shurmur said. “He has a very charismatic personality. It’s the first characteristic of him that stands out. He’s also extremely smart and understands all the coverages and reads. He also loves to play the game. He’s also very competitive, and that’s a good sign.”