Browns Add to Baker Mayfield's Arsenal by Drafting Michigan WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
By Jerry Trotta
The Cleveland Browns have done everything in their power to put quarterback Baker Mayfield in the best position to succeed in 2020. That narrative continued into this weekend's NFL Draft when the team selected Alabama offensive tackle Jedrick Wills with the No. 10 overall pick.
Fast forward to the sixth round, and Cleveland equipped Mayfield with another dynamic playmaker when it drafted Michigan wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones at pick No. 187.
Adding Peoples-Jones to an offense that already features Odell Beckham Jr, Jarvis Landry, Austin Hooper, Nick Chubb, and Kareem Hunt just seems unfair. Mayfield really has no choice but to make significant strides in Year 3.
In three seasons with the Wolverines, DPJ notched 103 receptions for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was also productive as a punt returner, producing 734 yards and two scores on 83 returns. While those numbers don't exactly jump off the page, let's not forget Michigan isn't at all a passing team, so the fact he managed to score 14 touchdowns in his final 24 games as a Wolverine says a lot.
A 6-2, 207 pounds, the 21-year-old will provide an imposing physical presence that the likes of Beckham and Landry, both of whom thrive on their shiftiness and speed, do not. Peoples-Jones addressed falling out of the first three rounds on Twitter in a motivational post that is guaranteed to sit well with Browns fans.
The Michigan product will have to scratch and claw to carve out a role as a rookie on a stacked Browns offense. Considering the massive chip he's now evidently carrying on his shoulder, it'd be hard to doubt him.