• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Browns Nation

Browns News. Rumors. Highlights. Now

  • Home
  • News
  • Draft
  • Podcast
  • History
  • All-Time Lists
  • Team
    • Shop
    • Schedule
  • About
You are here: Home / Draft / 3 Things To Know About New Browns WR Donovan Peoples-Jones

3 Things To Know About New Browns WR Donovan Peoples-Jones

By Adam Lowenstein April 26, 2020 @StatsAdam

Michigan Wolverines Wide Receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones (9) runs back a punt during the second half of the game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Penn State Nittany Lions on October 19, 2019, at Beaver Stadium in University Park, PA,
(Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire)

 

With the No. 187 overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns selected Michigan wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones.

There were several wide receivers that Cleveland could have drafted in 2020.

Peoples-Jones, who has had success as a receiver and punt returner, was very excited to join the Browns:

🤣🤣 lets Get it https://t.co/Lxui0i1D2z

— Donovan Peoples-Jones (@dpeoplesjones) April 25, 2020


Odell Beckham Jr. may have been even more excited to get the Michigan playmaker.

The Browns Twitter account dug up an old tweet from the Detroit native receiver and retweeted it with a comment on Saturday evening:

ONE OF US! https://t.co/Zj9cBr0wW3

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) April 25, 2020

There are many ways for Peoples-Jones to gain favor in Cleveland, but resonating with the sports fans in his new city with a four-year-old tweet is impressive.

“DPJ” had a strong three years as a Michigan Wolverine, and here are three things to know about him:

 

1. Peoples-Jones was Named Michigan’s Rookie of the Year in 2017

 

During his Freshman All-American season, DPJ jumped onto the scene by playing all 13 games for the 8-5 Wolverines.

He caught 22 passes for 277 yards, along with taking four carries for 57 yards.

Peoples-Jones was an even better punt returner for Michigan, and that was the main reason for his team Rookie of Year award.

He returned an NCAA-high 40 punts for a Big Ten-leading 320 yards.

In No. 7 Michigan’s third win of the season, the Wolverines’ first touchdown of the game came on Peoples-Jones’ 79-yard punt return touchdown.

DPJ was one of just five players in the Big Ten to average at least eight yards per punt return that season.

 

2. He Led the Big Ten in Punt Return Yards in Both 2017 and 2018

 

After a strong freshman year, Peoples-Jones came back for the 2018 season and improved greatly.

As the team’s top receiver, he more than doubled his receptions (47) and receiving yards (612).

In addition, DPJ went from zero receiving touchdowns in 2017 to eight in his sophomore season.

His 10 yards per punt return led the Big Ten in 2018.

Although Peoples-Jones had just one catch for 10 yards in Michigan’s September 22 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, he did return another punt return for a touchdown.

He capitalized on the blowout of the visiting Cornhuskers with a 60-yard punt return touchdown to make the score 46-0 in the eventual 56-10 win.

 

3. He was Named to the All-Big Ten Third-Team in Both 2018 and 2019

 

The two-time All-Big Ten Third-Teamer had a dip in his 2019 statistics, but it was most likely due to his early-season injury.

Michigan head coach John Harbaugh described it as a “soft-tissue groin injury.”

DPJ ended up starting nine contests in 2019 and played in 11 games.

In those games, he caught 34 balls for 438 yards and had almost as strong of a yards-per-catch average as he did in his career year in 2018.

Peoples-Jones also caught six receiving touchdowns, but was unable to return any of his 24 punt returns for a score.

He had a career-low 7.2 yards per punt return in 2019, but this average still ranked fourth in the conference.

The 173 punt return yards also ranked second in the Big Ten.

As the only wide receiver taken by the Browns in the 2020 draft, Peoples-Jones will be an important contributor to the receiving and punt return corps for Cleveland.

Recent News

LSU Tigers linebacker Jacob Phillips (6) celebrates after scoring a touchdown on an interception during the game between the Miami Hurricanes and the LSU Tigers on September 2, 2018 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
14 Facts About The 7 Cleveland Brown 2020 Draft Picks
Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones (9) celebrates his long touchdown reception during the Michigan Wolverines versus Michigan State Spartans game on Saturday November 16, 2019 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, MI.
Ranking The Cleveland Browns Rookies By Impact In 2020
Jedrick Wills
Cleveland Browns Draft Grades 2020 (All Picks Graded)

Filed Under: DraftTagged With: 2020 NFL Draft, Cleveland Browns, Donovan Peoples-Jones

About Adam Lowenstein

Adam Lowenstein is a freelance sports journalist. He is also a dental student at Tufts University. While completing his degrees, Adam wrote for numerous websites, covering various professional sports. Adam is a native of Massachusetts, and he attended Washington University in St. Louis when the St. Louis Rams were actually a thing. Adam recently completed his master's degree. In sports, Adam has spent the last couple of years covering the NBA, specifically the Boston Celtics.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Primary Sidebar

Search Browns Nation

Trending News

Footer

Terms and Conditions

Privacy Policy

Join Our Newsletter

Contact Us

 

Follow us

Copyright © 2021 · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - Brownsnation.com

Copyright © 2020 · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BrownsNation.com is not affiliated with the Cleveland Browns or the National Football League