3 hidden gems on Cleveland Browns 2021 roster

2. Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR

Odell Beckham, Jr. and Jarvis Landry are the names everyone knows on the Cleveland Browns depth chart. In Cleveland, Rashard Higgins could be added to the list since he’s become a fan favorite after posting great numbers as the third target in both 2018 and 2020 (and it would have been three years in a row had he not spent 2019 in Freddie Kitchens’ dog house).

Those three players continue to get the attention but third-round pick Anthony Schwartz is also feeling the love from fans. A product of Auburn, Schwartz isn’t e great technician at the position just yet but he has amazing speed — evidenced by his unofficial 4.25 time in the 40-yard dash.

Having a player who can take the top off the defense in the way Schwartz is able to could be huge for this offense but he’s not the only guy they have with the ability to get deep. There’s also OBJ who is returning from a torn ACL but has had promising results so far as well as 2020 sixth-round pick Donovan Peoples-Jones.

Once a five-star recruit, Peoples-Jones never lived up to the hype for Michigan which led to his fall into Round 6. And while he’s not a finished product as of yet, he showed during his rookie campaign that he knows how to get downfield and make defenses pay. According to our own Sam Penix, he was the top rookie in the NFL in yards per reception at 20.9.

This isn’t to say Peoples-Jones needs to be the starter at this point, but it shows that he was an effective weapon as a rookie. He also proved the spotlight isn’t too big for him as he hauled in a 24-yard touchdown that gave Cleveland the win over Cincinnati in Week 7.

Don’t be surprised to see No. 11 on the field more this coming season. And as long as that happens, he should be able to put up even better numbers than he did as a rookie.