Cleveland Browns: Can Donovan Peoples-Jones exceed expectations in year 2?
By Dylan Coscia
Cleveland Browns WR Donovan People-Jones looks to build on a rookie season in which he made several spectacular plays and displayed elite characteristics in limited playing time.
Coming out of high school, wide receiver Donovan-Peoples Jones was a 5-star recruit and the top wide receiver recruit in the country. Unfortunately for him, he chose to go to The University of Michigan where he was never able to reach his full potential. As a result, he slipped in the 2020 NFL draft where Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry picked him in the sixth round with the 187th overall pick.
During his rookie season, he played in 12 games and produced 14 catches for 304 yards and 2 touchdowns. A quarter of those yards came on a 75-yard touchdown against the Tennessee Titans, showing his big play ability.
While he wasn’t consistently making plays in the limited time that he was on the field, he showed a penchant for making explosive things happen when given the opportunity. His game-winning touchdown catch during the Week 7 win against the Cincinnati Bengals is a perfect example of the type of plays he is capable of making.
Looking forward to the 2021 season, Peoples-Jones projects to be behind Odell Beckham, Jr., Jarvis Landry, and Rashard Higgins on the depth chart. It’s likely that he will be battling it out with Anthony Schwartz, a third-round pick out of Auburn University in the 2021 NFL Draft, for the fourth wide receiver spot.
Given that it will be Schwartz’ rookie season and he will still be learning the offense, it’s probable that Peoples-Jones will have the advantage and that Schwartz will be used in a more specialized role for gadget-type plays.
Mike Clay, fantasy football expert, and NFL analyst at ESPN, currently projects that Peoples-Jones will have 3 catches for 47 yards and 0 touchdowns throughout the 2021 season. This seems a bit low considering he had over 300 yards as a rookie and will most likely show some sort of progression over the offseason.
Add in the fact that Beckham Jr. is coming off of an ACL injury and has a lengthy injury history, it’s possible either he or another receiver gets hurt during the season, meaning Peoples-Jones will have more opportunities. He has also been used in the return game, which shouldn’t change in 2021 and gives him a chance to make an impact on the game while not being featured in the offense.
The selection of Peoples-Jones in the 2020 draft certainly came as a shock to some but can end up being a pleasant surprise if he is able to reach his full potential in Cleveland.
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There’s no denying that he has all the characteristics to be an impactful wide receiver, it’s just a matter of if he’s able to put it all together.