Donovan Peoples-Jones

Donovan Peoples-Jones (born February 19, 1999), also known as "DPJ",[1][2] is an American football wide receiver and kick returner for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan and was drafted by the Browns in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Donovan Peoples-Jones
No. 11 – Cleveland Browns
Position:Wide receiver
Kick returner
Personal information
Born: (1999-02-19) February 19, 1999
Detroit, Michigan
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:212 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school:Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
College:Michigan
NFL Draft:2020 / Round: 6 / Pick: 187
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× All-Big Ten Third-team (2018, 2019)
  • Freshman All-American (2017)
  • USA Today High School All-American (2016)
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Receptions:14
Receiving yards:304
Return yards:435
Total touchdowns:2
Player stats at NFL.com

Early life

Donovan Peoples-Jones was born in Detroit on February 19, 1999 to Roslyn Peoples and Eddie Jones. He attended Cass Technical High School where he was a five-star recruit and rated as the best wide receiver recruit from the state of Michigan since Charles Rogers in 2000.[3][4] Peoples-Jones was named the 2016 Michigan High School Football Player of the Year by MLive Media Group on Nov. 22, 2016. As a senior at Cass Tech, Peoples-Jones had 60 receptions for 1,071 yards and 17 touchdowns. On December 15, 2016, he committed to play for the University of Michigan in a nationally televised press conference on ESPN2.[5]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
Donovan Peoples-Jones
WR		 Detroit, Michigan Cass Technical High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 4.45 Dec 15, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 12  247Sports: 26  ESPN: 22
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Michigan Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 23, 2018.

    College career

    After committing to Michigan, Peoples-Jones enrolled early in January 2017. After watching Peoples-Jones and fellow freshman Tarik Black in spring practice, offensive lineman Mason Cole predicted the pair were "going to be unbelievable."[6]

    On September 2, 2017, Peoples-Jones started at punt returner as a true freshman in Michigan's season opener against Florida. He returned five punts for 40 yards, including an 18-yard return.[7][8][9] In his second game, he ran 44 yards on a jet sweep in the first quarter against Cincinnati. In his third game, he returned two punts for 104 yards, including a 79-yard return for a touchdown in the third quarter against Air Force. His 79-yard return for a touchdown was the longest by any Michigan punt returner since Steve Breaston went 83 yards against Indiana in 2006.[10] He finished with the second-most return attempts and eighth-most return yards in a single season by a Wolverine, and also caught 22 passes for 277 yards. Following an outstanding freshman season, he was named a Freshman All-American by Football Writers Association of America and 247 Sports, and was named Michigan's Rookie of the Year.[11]

    During the 2018 season, Peoples-Jones led the team with 39 receptions, for 541 yards and seven touchdowns. Peoples-Jones ranked second in the Big Ten in punt return average (10.1) among players with 10 returns or more, and his 64 career return attempts ranks fourth in Michigan program history. On October 20, 2018 in a rivalry game against Michigan State, Peoples-Jones had a career long reception of 79 yards for a touchdown.[12] Following the season, he was named to the All-Big Ten special teams third-team, by both the coaches and media, and the All-Big Ten offensive teams third-team by coaches.[13][14]

    Following the 2019 season, he was named to the All-Big Ten special teams third-team by the media, and the All-Big Ten offensive team honorable mention by the media.[15][16] On January 4, 2020, Peoples-Jones announced he would forego his final season of eligibility to enter the 2020 NFL draft.[17][18] Despite all his success, Peoples-Jones never defeated arch-rival Ohio State, going 0-3 in his college career vs. the Buckeyes.

    College statistics
    Season Team Conf G Receiving Rushing Returns
    Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD Ret Yds Avg TD
    2017 Michigan Big Ten 13 22 277 12.6 0 4 57 14.3 0 40 320 8.0 1
    2018 Michigan Big Ten 13 47 612 13.0 8 3 37 12.3 0 25 250 10.0 1
    2019 Michigan Big Ten 11 34 438 12.9 6 2 −7 −3.5 0 24 173 7.2 0
    Career 37 103 1,327 12.9 14 9 87 9.7 0 89 743 8.3 2
    All values from Sports Reference[19]

    Professional career
    Pre-draft measurables
    HeightWeightArm lengthHand size40-yard dashVertical jumpBroad jump
    6 ft 1 5⁄8 in
    (1.87 m)    		 212 lb
    (96 kg)    		 33 1⁄2 in
    (0.85 m)    		 10 1⁄8 in
    (0.26 m)    		4.48 s44.5 in
    (1.13 m)    		11 ft 7 in
    (3.53 m)
    All values from NFL Combine[20]

    Peoples-Jones was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round with the 187th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.[21] Peoples-Jones signed his rookie contract with the Browns on May 20, 2020.[22]

    On October 25, 2020, Peoples-Jones caught three passes for 56 yards and the game-winning touchdown with 11 seconds left in the game during the 37–34 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7.[23] In Week 13 against the Tennessee Titans, Peoples-Jones recorded two catches for 92 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown, during the 41–35 win. [24] In Week 14 against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football, Peoples-Jones recorded three catches for 74 yards and a two-point conversion.[25] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on December 26, 2020,[26] and activated on December 31.[27]

    Career statistics
    Regular season statistics
    SeasonTeamGPGSReceivingRushing
    RecYardsY/RY/GTDsRushYardsY/AY/GTDsFmb
    2020CLE 1221430421.725.32000000
    Career1221430421.725.32000.00.000
    Postseason statistics
    SeasonTeamGPGSReceivingRushing
    RecYardsY/RY/GTDsRushYardsY/AY/GTDsFmb
    2020CLE 2223115.515.50000000
    Career2223115.515.50000.00.000

    References
    1. Chengelis, Angelique S. (August 11, 2017). "Harbaugh raves about Michigan freshman receivers". The Detroit News.
    2. Snyder, Mark (April 16, 2017). "Peoples-Jones, Tarik Black flash skills in Michigan's spring game". Detroit Free Press.
    3. "Donovan People-Jones". University of Michigan. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
    4. Purcell, Jared (December 15, 2016). "Donovan Peoples-Jones is state's best WR recruit since 2000". Mlive.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
    5. Nelsen, Chris (December 15, 2016). "Cass Tech WR Donovan Peoples-Jones commits to Michigan football". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
    6. Chengelis, Angelique S. (August 30, 2017). "UM's Black, Peoples-Jones 'are going to be unbelievable'". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
    7. Baumgardner, Nick (September 5, 2017). "Michigan's Donovan Peoples-Jones trusting plan, focused on improvement". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
    8. McMann, Aaron (September 6, 2016). "For Michigan's Donovan Peoples-Jones, Step 1 is returning kicks". Mlive.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
    9. Sang, Orion (September 5, 2017). "Peoples-Jones embraces fearless attitude at punt returner". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
    10. Sipple, George (September 16, 2017). "Michigan's Donovan Peoples-Jones earns props from friends, foes for TD". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
    11. "Peoples-Jones Named FWAA Freshman All-American". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
    12. "Donovan Peoples-Jones – Football". University of Michigan Athletics. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
    13. Ablauf, Dave; Shepard, Chad (November 27, 2017). "Fourteen Wolverines Earn All-Big Ten Honors on Defense, Special Teams". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
    14. Ablauf, Dave; Shepard, Chad (November 27, 2017). "Eleven Michigan Players Selected for All-Big Ten Honors on Offense". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
    15. Ablauf, Dave; Shepard, Chad (December 3, 2019). "Fourteen Wolverines Honored by Big Ten on Defense and Special Teams". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
    16. Ablauf, Dave; Shepard, Chad (December 4, 2019). "Thirteen Michigan Players Honored by Big Ten on Offense". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
    17. Brown, Brandon (January 4, 2020). "BREAKING: Donovan Peoples-Jones Declares For NFL Draft". Maven. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
    18. Sang, Orion (January 4, 2020). "Michigan's Donovan Peoples-Jones declares for 2020 NFL draft". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
    19. "Donovan Peoples-Jones College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
    20. "Donovan Peoples-Jones Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
    21. Gribble, Andrew (April 25, 2020). "Browns select Michigan WR Donovan Peoples-Jones with No. 187 pick in 2020 NFL Draft". ClevelandBrowns.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
    22. "Browns sign 2 draft picks". ClevelandBrowns.com. May 20, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
    23. Rapien, James (October 25, 2020). "Baker Mayfield Finds Peoples-Jones For Late Score, Browns Stun Bengals 37–34". SI.com. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
    24. "Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans - December 6th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
    25. "Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns - December 14th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
    26. "Browns place 5 on COVID-19 list". ClevelandBrowns.com. December 26, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
    27. "Browns make roster moves". ClevelandBrowns.com. December 31, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
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