Cleveland Browns Comprehensive NFL Draft Review: Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR Michigan
With the 187th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns selected Donovan Peoples-Jones, wide receiver from Michigan. Jones declared as a junior, getting out of a situation in Ann Arbor that didn't seem to be getting better. Maybe he could have transferred to another program to be more productive before coming out, but the pandemic that could dramatically impact college football in 2020 made it likely a smarter choice to go ahead and declare this year.
Jones came out of high school as a five-star recruit and was among a handful of players that went to Michigan that were tasked with transforming them into having a dynamic offense. It simply didn't happen.
So while Jones didn't become the player many believed he could be for the Wolverines, none of them did, which is an indictment of the program as much as it is anything else. One thing worth noting with Jones is just how often he was able to score touchdowns with the ball in his hands. In his sophomore and junior seasons, Jones caught 81 passes. Of those 81 receptions, he scored 14 touchdowns which amounts to a touchdown 17.2 percent of the time. That's better than one out of every six receptions.
Athletic Profile
Age: 21 (Born February 19th, 1999)
Height: 6'1 5/8"
Weight: 212 lbs
40-yard dash: 4.48
Broad Jump: 139"
Vertical Jump: 44.5"
3-cone: DNP
Shuttle: DNP
Bench: DNP
Jim Cobern @Jimetrics
Jones possesses remarkable explosion as illustrated by his jumps and both are apparent on tape. His speed is good, but it's not terribly impressive and he didn't test agility, so it's difficult to label him as an elite athlete based on the numbers. That doesn't make what he's able to do on the field any less impressive and illustrates how valuable explosion can be.
Based on tape, he looks like a player who would've done really well in the shuttle, given how fluid he is with his hips pointed in one direction. He is shifty in that regard. His hips look more questionable and more difficult for him. They don't look bad by any stretch but of all the things physically Jones does, that flexibility looks the most questionable. He does have pretty good balance, which is something else the three-cone would measure.
Production
2018 (Best Year)
Receptions: 47 receptions
Yards: 612 yards (21.8%)
Touchdowns: 8
2019 (Last Year)
Receptions: 34 receptions
Yards: 438 yards (13.4%)
Touchdowns: 6
Production is a major concern for Jones. It's simply not where it should be as it pertains to projecting to the NFL. It's even more concerning that it went backward from his sophomore to junior year, where he went from being one of their top two receivers along with Nico Collins to being a firm third option this past season.
And while plenty are quick to point out the failings with the University of Football program, which are legitimate, they don't entirely erase this problem. The best receivers produce and for a player like Jones, he's going to have to prove he's an outlier in that regard.
Game Tape
Jones is electric with the ball in his hands. Whether it's after a catch, taking a hand off or on a punt return, he's capable of taking a solid play and making it a huge one. His first step is remarkable and he's able to get to full speed quickly, which enables him to making opponents miss. Perhaps the most valuable asset for Jones is his power. Because he's able to get a head of steam so quickly and possesses a thick build with pretty good balance, he can run through arm tackles and run over some would be tacklers.
At times, it seems like Jones doesn't trust his strength enough, opting to try to make opponents miss too much and not making them try to tackle him while he's going full speed. He's been able to get away with it in college to great effect, but it wouldn't be a surprise if while coaches aren't trying to change him or how he runs with the ball in his hands, they at least encourage him to his strength to power through tacklers more and get up the field before others can get an angle on him.
As a receiver, Jones has great hands. He's able to pluck the ball out of the air pretty easily, tracking it most anywhere on the field and shows the knack for making catches in and through contact. His leaping ability makes him an attractive target for 50-50 balls both going deep and in the red zone.
Jones is able to use his strength to create space, freeing his hands to grab passes. He also shows good body control in terms of being able to box out opponents with his body and perhaps most notably, how natural he is when it comes to catching the ball while making sure it doesn't touch the ground.
In terms of his ability in traffic and his overall strength, he plays bigger than his size would suggest. And he's a good sized receiver already.
Jones is a threat to take the top off of a defense. If he's unchecked at the line of scrimmage, he can build up speed in a hurry and make it difficult for anyone to catch him. He's also pretty good when it comes to firing off the line and getting down the field before the defender can react. This is another situation where his explosion is obvious.
Jones does have some issues when it comes to dealing with press and more physical corners. At times, he will fight and run through them with little issue. There are also situations where he takes incredibly wide angles to try to run around opponents and it makes it easier for defensive backs to force him out of bounds. He can also get flustered by corners that get a good press on him, allowing them into his frame and getting stuck on them, unable to get a good release.
Jones can employ a solid stutter move that can occasionally fool opponents, allowing him to create space. He's not nearly as effective when it comes to moves that force him to make hard cuts or sharp turns. And Michigan rarely asked him to run any with the exception of some whip route. For the most part, it was verts and fades, posts and flags, slants and drags and some comebacks. The out routes they utilize are more like bench or arrow routes where it's a gradual curve to the outside as opposed to a hard out cut.
He's also not a great salesman when it comes to creating space. Outside of the stutter and varying his release off the line, he doesn't do much to create space, so he can be predictable and enable defensive backs cover him that he should seemingly easily beat.
Jones is smooth transitioning from catch to runner and becomes incredibly dangerous with the ball in his hands, just like when he's returning kicks. He's got the ability to win with strength as well as speed and some moves to make opponents miss. Whereas he does little to keep opponents off guard as a route runner, he's far more instinctive and creative with the ball. And for the same reasons, he has shown viability taking jet sweeps and screens.
There were a ton of yards left on the field by quarterbacks throwing to Jones during his collegiate career There are numerous examples where plenty of yards are there to be had after the catch but he's forced to adjust to an off-target throw to get the minimum.
When it comes to blocking, Jones can be great. When he's engaged and exploding off the line using his strength, he can dominate opponents as a blocker. He's more than strong enough, has good feet and has a pretty wide body. At times, he looks great. There are plenty of other situations where he doesn't look all that interested and allows opponents to beat him to the punch.
Fit, Usage and Projection with the Browns
Jones has two avenues to make the Browns roster and contribute immediately. The first is beating out Jojo Natson for the returner job. The second is to show enough that makes the Browns feel they need to keep him on the roster. And his skill set could enable him to be a role player that pushes defenses vertically or gets manufactured touches in the form of screens and sweeps as an offensive weapon.
From a developmental standpoint, it's all about improving as a route runner. He needs to be able to stick his foot in the ground and make cuts as well as keep defensive backs honest with selling fakes and creating separation. Beyond that, there might be a focus on getting Jones to use and incorporate his strength more in terms of fighting for real estate as a receiver, not being willing to give up ground.
Jones has massively thick thighs and legs in general, so it may be more about his core and upper body to help him combat defensive backs more, but being so young, he might be able to add a good amount of strength to his frame.
From a long term perspective, Jones as an athlete looks like he has a ton of upside, but his lack of production would suggest he's going to have a really difficult time becoming more than a role player. If Jones is able to become a third or fourth receiver who can be a threat returning kicks, that would be a major success for the Browns, but going beyond that would be beating the mathematical odds. Given his circumstances in college combined with his athleticism, it will be interesting to see how far he can go.
The Rest of The Browns 2020 Draft Class:
