At 6-2, 208 pounds, wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones is expected to test as well as any of the 11 Michigan Wolverines football players in attendance at this week’s NFL combine in Indianapolis.
He had a productive three-year career at U-M that saw him haul in 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns, while also running two punts back for scores (against Air Force in 2017 and versus Nebraska in 2018).
The production never necessarily met the immense hype that Peoples-Jones brought with him to Ann Arbor, though, when he signed with the Wolverines as a five-star prospect and the No. 1 receiver in the nation out of high school in 2017.
“I really don’t pay much attention to that,” he said today at the combine when asked about the expectations that people had for him when he first arrived.
“I just wanted to come in and be a great teammate, and do whatever I could on the field to help my team.”
Peoples-Jones missed the first two games of the 2019 season — Middle Tennessee State and Army — with injury, and never really got on track throughout the course of the campaign.
A junior season that saw him reel in 612 yards dipped to just 438 this past season, despite the arrival of first-year offensive coordinator Josh Gattis and his wide open air attack.
“Josh Gattis was a great receivers coach,” Peoples-Jones exclaimed. “He helped me out a lot with the details and technique of being a receiver, and had an answer for everything.”
Gattis’ offense finally clicked for the U-M players late in the season, culminating in a beautiful air attack throughout the month of November that saw the Maize and Blue average 351.6 passing yards per game against Michigan State, Indiana and Ohio State from Nov. 16 through Nov. 30.
Both U-M’s potent passing game and Peoples-Jones ended the 2019 campaign with a thud in the Citrus Bowl against Alabama, however, with the former only racking up 233 yards and the latter just 34 yards on one catch.
“I didn’t think about the decision [to go pro] until after our last game,” he revealed today. “I thought I was ready after that.
“Coaches and family [are the people I relied on to make the decision], and I prayed about it a lot. I feel like I’m ready, and it didn’t have anything to do with anyone else in this year’s [wide receiver draft] class.
“It’s been my dream since I was six years old, and I’m an explosive and versatile athlete who can play anywhere — outside or in the slot.
“It’s a blessing just to be here. I love being around everyone here, and that I’m able to showcase my abilities to the world.”
Peoples-Jones has the physical attributes to post combine numbers that are off the charts, and he has set the bar high for himself as well — specifically in the 40-yard dash.
“I want to run fast and show that I’m explosive — a 4.4 or 4.3,” he revealed. “I’m really just going to be myself. I feel like I’m prepared for it having gone to a great school like Michigan and having had great people around me.”
Notes
• Peoples-Jones was asked today to single out a few athletes on Michigan’s 2020 roster that fans should keep an eye on moving forward.
“I’m excited to see [senior wideout] Nico Collins, [redshirt sophomore cornerback] Vince Gray and [redshirt junior linebacker] Josh Ross next season to see how they all play.”
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