Michigan WR Donovan Peoples-Jones’ NFL draft stock takes a dive

College football: Michigan vs. Michigan State - November 16, 2019

Michigan wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones (9) fumbles the ball on a punt return in the fourth quarter of their Big Ten football game against Michigan State at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, on Saturday, November 16, 2019. Michigan won the game, 44-10. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

There was a time when NFL draft analysts were high on Donovan Peoples-Jones.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper once had the Michigan wide receiver ranked among his top-10 available wideouts in the 2020 class. Back in October, Todd McShay included Peoples-Jones in his top 32 players, a sign the Detroit native was primed to become a potential first-round pick.

Fast forward a few months and Peoples-Jones’ stock appears to have dropped.

“I have a fourth-fifth round grade on Peoples-Jones,” Kiper said Wednesday during an ESPN-sponsored conference call with reporters.

"Todd’s a little higher on him than I am. I saw some inconsistencies with him. I want to see him become more of a power forward and take advantage of that size advantage he has.

“To play more effectively and consistently than he did (at Michigan).”

MORE: Ranking Michigan’s NFL draft-eligible prospects

A former five-star recruit, Peoples-Jones arguably never lived up to his billing at Michigan. He had some good seasons, evident by his two-time all-Big Ten selection (third-team honors by the coaches in 2018, and honorable mention by the media in 2019), but never developed into that top-tier receiver some expected.

During the 2018 season, his sophomore year, Peoples-Jones was Michigan’s leading pass-catcher, collecting 47 receptions for 612 yards and eight touchdowns. It was the natural jump from a freshman season that allowed him to get his feet wet.

But he started out 2019 injured and ineffective, taking four games before catching more than one pass. Peoples-Jones eventually got back up to speed, catching 34 passes for 438 yards and six touchdowns, but never had that breakout moment before electing to forego his senior season to enter the NFL draft.

In fact, Peoples-Jones never had a 100-yard receiving game during his tenure at Michigan. Part of that was out of his control; Jim Harbaugh’s offense during Peoples-Jones’ first two seasons was still an NFL style, with heavy power and active running game, and featured several high-profile receivers.

RELATED: Mel Kiper has a Michigan player in his new NFL mock draft

The 2019 season was supposed to curtail some of that with the introduction of new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis and move to the spread. Instead, Nico Collins (37 catches, 729 yards, 7 TD) absorbed most of the down-the-field throws, and Ronnie Bell (48 catches, 758 yards) emerged as a favorite slot threat of quarterback Shea Patterson.

The NFL has assessed Peoples-Jones a 5.90 grade, slotting him as a backup or special teams player, with draft analyst Lance Zierlein pointing out the lack of production from the 6-foot-2, 208-pound wideout.

“His route tempo is sluggish, but he has some savvy and shortcuts footwork for out-breaking routes to the boundary,” Zierlein writes. “He doesn’t run well enough to play outside in the pros, but has decent tape as a big slot. His pro limitations go beyond Michigan’s spotty offense and he may not reach any higher than being an average backup.”

Peoples-Jones will have an opportunity to increase his stock in the minds of NFL personnel next week at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, where he’ll interview, test and workout in front of all 32 teams.

Read more on Michigan football:

NCAA moves closer to passing Jim Harbaugh’s one-time transfer idea

Michigan analyst Brandon Blaney leaves for Eastern Michigan

U-M ’s secondary talented, in good shape for spring

Why ex-Michigan LB Dhani Jones backs Michael Bloomberg for president

How high is LB Cam McGrone’s ceiling?


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