The “best pick of the sixth round” is how ESPN.com’s Matt Bowen characterized Donovan Peoples-Jones to the Cleveland Browns, and it’s hard to argue that it looks like a steal … at least on paper. Peoples-Jones’ productivity never matched the hype in Ann Arbor, but his combine numbers and athleticism were never in question.
His next step is to put it all together on the football field. He “just needed one chance,” he said, and he thanked the Browns for giving it to him. He expects to make an early impact as the No. 3 receiver behind Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry and also to return punts and/or kicks.
"I am very excited … it is great because I actually got a chance to meet both [Beckham and Landry],” Peoples-Jones told reporters in a conference call. “I was getting some tips from Jarvis while I was down in Florida training for the NFL Combine. Me and him have started to develop our relationship. Those guys are Pro Bowl guys. I just can't wait to learn from them.
"I am so ready. There is going to be a lot of work put in before that, but I am so ready, and I am blessed with this opportunity."
Peoples-Jones caught passes from quarterback Shea Patterson in two of his three years, but he was asked if playing with “multiple” quarterbacks at Michigan was tough. He also bristled at the suggestion that he might have underachieved in Ann Arbor.
"It was challenging, but I think it made me better,” he said. “I was able to adjust. I think I am ready for whatever adjustment comes in my future. I am blessed to go through everything that I went through.
“[But] I do not think that is a fair criticism. I did what I could when I had the opportunity. It honestly does not matter now. I am looking at how to get better. I am looking to do everything I can for the Browns offense and the team in general."
Waiting until day three and the sixth round to be selected when many projected him as a first- or second-day pick was tough, he continued.
"I never really imagined this, but I am so blessed and so grateful that the Browns selected me and believe in me,” he said, insistent he’d remember the long list of receivers taken before him. "Personally, I love competition. Personally, I rise when the competition rises.
"I am not even one to speak on [his place among other receivers taken earlier]. I think that the rankings will reveal itself in the next couple years. I am blessed to be part of this organization, and I am blessed to get a chance. I don't feel like I started [fully showing my potential] personally, but I have upped my training. I feel like I'm ready, and I feel like it is going to be a great next couple years."
Late in the draft, Bowen noted, teams are targeting traits, and Peoples-Jones checked the boxes.
“At 6-2 and 212 pounds, with 4.48 speed and a 44.5-inch vertical jump, the Michigan product has excellent size and athleticism,” he said. “Special teams value will play a role as he competes for snaps at wide receiver in the Cleveland offense.”
And he’s excited to get started, though admittedly surprised the Browns were the team that ultimately selected him.
“I did talk to them a little bit at the combine and felt really good about them. It is a blessing,” he said. “I'm just glad they circled back and remembered me.
"I'm so excited to play with players like Baker [Mayfield], Odell and Jarvis. They are really good players, and I think that I can come in and soak up a lot information from them and really take it all in. I'm really excited."
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