CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Browns safety Jabrill Peppers is not happy about how his rookie season went in the National Football League, but it was, by no means, a waste of time for the one-time Heisman Trophy finalist.
Peppers is confident the 2017 season was a learning experience that will propel him to better things as his career continues.
“Not good,” Peppers said when asked to describe his first NFL season. “I don't know what grade I would give myself right now, but it wouldn't be a favorable one.”
In 13 games with the Browns, Peppers made 57 total tackles, including 44 solo stops and 13 assists, with three passes defended and one interception in the season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers. On special teams, Peppers gained 318 yards on 14 kickoff returns and averaged 6.0 yards over 30 punt runbacks.
“I missed a lot of routine plays, tackles that need to be tackles,” Peppers said. “Didn't really have enough impact plays. Didn't do what I wanted to do in the return game. The list goes on, but trial and error. I think I pretty much got what works for me and won't feel this way by next year.”
One of three first-round picks of the Browns in 2017, Peppers found out how important film study is compared to what he did to prepare for games at the University of Michigan.
And Peppers aims to take the knowledge he gained in 2017 and apply it to the 2018 season and beyond.
“I would say I had a bigger jump from the season, like the first game to the last game just by the experience I gained, my maturation process and really understanding what (defensive coordinator) Coach (Gregg) Williams is trying to do with his defensive schemes and trying to make a team see one thing when we are really running another thing,” Peppers said.
“Just my overall knowledge of the game has grown. At this level, you have to do something that sets you apart because you are not the most athletic or the strongest anymore, so you have to go above and beyond the call of duty to produce. That is one of the main things that I got from this year.”