Overview
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 208 pounds
School: Michigan Wolverines
Donovan Peoples-Jones 2020 NFL Draft Profile
When the University of Michigan landed Donovan Peoples-Jones, it was a massive deal. Peoples-Jones, who was a five-star recruit and widely regarded as one of the top players in his high school class, would be joining a Michigan squad poised to contend for a national championship. While Peoples-Jones, commonly referred to by fans as DPJ, had a solid career in Ann Arbor, he fell well short of expectations.
Over his three years as a Wolverine, Donovan Peoples-Jones reeled in 103 catches for a total of 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns. He did display some big-play potential with a career-long reception of 79 yards in his sophomore season. These numbers obviously didn’t live up to the hype that surrounded Peoples-Jones when he came to Michigan. Peoples-Jones played primarily in the slot and with his 6’2″ frame he could be very effective in this role at the next level.
In addition to his exploits as a receiver, Michigan often used Peoples-Jones on special teams as a punt returner. Over his three seasons he returned two punts for touchdowns and totaled 743 total return yards. His best season as a return man came in his sophomore year when he averaged 10 yards per return and brought one punt back for a touchdown. He proved that he could be a viable return man at the next level in addition to a receiver.
Strengths
- Excellent size
- Solid athleticism
- Good body control and awareness on sideline catches
- Size makes him hard to bring down at times
- Great hands that make him a tough matchup on contested catches
Weaknesses
- Has a tendency to let catch the ball with his body despite having great hands
- Not a very shifty or elusive player in space
- Not overly quick in short yardage situations
NFL Comparison: Cordarrelle Patterson
Teams With a Need at the Position: Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills
Draft Projection: Early third round
Bottom Line
As the NFL Draft continues to draw closer, Donovan Peoples-Jones continues to be an intriguing prospect. His physical skills are apparent, but he hasn’t been able to piece it all together to this point. There are some aspects of his game that stand out, such as his great hands, but he has some obvious flaws.
In a receiving class such as this year it will be difficult for Peoples-Jones to stand out above the rest, but not impossible. He does have a fairly diverse skill set that will likely make him more appealing to teams as the middle rounds begin. His lengthy experience on special teams will be a huge advantage for him during the draft process. The fact that he can not only help a team as a receiver but also a return specialist makes him a much more appealing prospect to teams. This is something that’ll be incredibly important to Peoples-Jones because as previously mentioned, he isn’t in that top group of players at his position. Overall it is reasonable to expect Donovan Peoples-Jones to come off the board somewhere in the third round, and have a similar career trajectory to someone like Cordarrelle Patterson.
