DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum DPJ

I really like Donovan Peoples Jones. I like his size, toughness, ability to make contested catches. Not sure what his 40 time was, but he seems fast enough. Has good acceleration and makes nice cuts coming out of his breaks. I think he is exceptionally strong and is a good runner after the catch. I read something earlier this year that he was right there w/Jamar Chase and DJ Metcalf in regards to beating single coverage. He doesn't have the quick twitch thing going on and he might struggle at times against press coverage because of that, but I think he can be a contributor on our offense, especially if run him out there as our 3rd WR.

I can't believe we were able to draft him where we did. Great job by the FO. I believe he was highly ranked coming out of high school, like right at the top. I could be wrong about that. I think he was hurt by inept QB at the TUN. I think Watson will make him better and believe he can be a real asset to our team.

The thing I remember most about DPJ was that catch he made at the end of the 2nd Bengals game in 2020. The game was back and forth, Cincy just took the lead. A lot of concentration on that catch, caught it going backwards.

And, yes, it was a good throw by Baker.

I think he was a 4.4 guy. He has speed, especially for his frame. You’re correct about it not being quick twitch. In the right scheme it won’t matter. I loved getting him so late in the draft. My hope is the light comes on this year and he finds his stride with Watson.

Good takes, guys. I still can't believe he fell so far in the draft. You would think teams would take note of TUN's QB situation and their archaic play calling.

DPJ has all the tools including height and speed. I think he plays the ball well. I think he has solid hands. I'd like to see a little more zip out of the gate -- sometimes he looks a little lazy on his release. Nope, not much jiggle, but great hips and a solid head fake lol.

He seems to have drops at the worst possible time... there were also 3 INTS on his limited targets last year. I recall one last year, certainly looked like he had the wrong read and Baker was pretty upset about it. Sadly, Baker then shunned him the rest of the game with no real WRs on the rest of the roster (Landry was injured). These kind of things fall under the microscope when a WR is battling for targets, I feel like he's ready to move to the next level.

Good point Vers, on the TUN affecting his stock and allowing him to fall so far in the draft. He was a steal. Similar situation last year with Nico Collins, but Berry got played on the draft pick trade and Houston leapfrogged us to steal him... leaving us with Schwartz.

He ran a 4.48 40 at the combine. He averaged 17.6 ypc. I don't have any way of looking up his drop rate but it is probably skewed by one game where he had the dropsies.

Like you have said he was a top recruit going into college. Ohio State wanted him very bad. Who knows what kind of numbers he would have had if he went there.

Good points. I think the thing you are referring to as a negative is that DPJ is not a quick twitch motor guy that might hurt him getting off the LOS against press coverage. I noticed that, as well. However, he has many other skills and Watson will make him better. if we bring back Juice, I think Cooper, Landry, and DPJ are good enough w/a very good qb. I suspect the other dude who was a rookie last year, whose name is escaping me temporarily, can be a situational receiver who runs jet routes to either make a few big plays like Perriman did a few years ago or to keep defenses honest. We are on the uprise, bro.

You always bring good information to the board. You are a real asset.

Schwartz

LOL...........yep. I'm getting old, bro.

It's not just you. I was talking to my dad and I couldn't remember the name of an all pro lineman... Teller.

Btw--------I love Teller. He is so freaking physical. he destroys guys and I love when we pull him or use him on the occasional trap blocks. Mostly, it's just inside zone pulls. There is a former center from the Colts named Jeff Saturday. He was a really good player. He does this segment on TV called "Pancakes" or something like that. He goes through about 4 plays where offensive linemen absolutely destroy defenders each week. It's a really cool segment w/tons of energy. Teller has been on there multiple times. Freaking guy is a beast!

Yeah, I love that segment. Teller was a great pickup. Dorsey did well finding him and Callahan coaching him was perfect.

Callahan might be the best OL coach in the business and Dorsey made so many great trades and draft picks, for the most part. We now have Berry and he is excellent. Good times ahead.

He really has always seemed like he had that potential star quality. Not just size and speed, but the flair. I hope he breaks out.

A 3rd, 4th, or 5th option masquerading as a #2 option going into the season. DPJ will do better anytime he can take advantage of lesser coverage. Maybe Demetric Felton can give him a run for his money. I don't know whom either player outplayed to gain their spot in the rotation.

I remember DPJ was one of the top HS "get's" out of HS.

I like him as well, and in a WR 3 role he should be fine, but will he be that? Being his 3rd year, this should be the year where we finally see what we have. If not, it is what it is. My feeling is we will see a jump. Last year was all balled up. Baker and OBJ never meshed. Baker didn't see guys from time to time and his arm had to play some role in his ineffectiveness. Now we should see him being a big part of our passing game.

Going back to my question, why would he be #3? Even if Landry comes back, why would DPJ not be #2? I don't think Juice is that guy any longer. The fact nobody else has jumped on him supports my contention that Juice is more of a complimentary guy at this point.

I think DPJ has the ability and physical tools to be a WR2. He seemed to take a step back from his rookie campaign, but I think like so much of the team last season, he was impacted by injury, his were niggly and less obvious than others but I think they had an impact. As did the poor play from Baker. I would not be surprised if DPJ is a break out player this year ... I might not rely on it, but I would certainly expect a big improvement.

I like him also, but maybe it's just something I think rather than actual, but it seems that he dropped a lot of balls last season!

I tried to look it up but was unable. I recall one bad game of drops, but not much more.

He had 4 drops last year according to PFF.

Agreed about Njoku. Using him as a WR in the redzone seems one of the best ways to utilize his attributes. As well, he would be an effective decoy in those situations.

As far as Schwartz, it's be great to see the light turn on for him this season. But assuming Grant will be used as a KR and/or a PR (he'll get a good look in preseason), Schwartz will need to demonstrate something with breaking tackles, YAC and hands that we haven't seen yet if he doesn't want to fall further on the WR depth chart. Like you, I hope it works out.

IMO.

Agree having a capable guy in the slot would be a huge bonus. Cooper himself has been excellent when he's lined up in the slot I believe - and if he returned Landry would be great there imo. If Cooper and DPJ are occupying a lot of attention from your safeties, it leaves the slot guy the opportunity to make medium depth plays with the threat of YAC ... if the safeties start paying attention to your slot guy, then you hope you can threaten them deep with DPJ on a go route or Cooper on a double move or post route...

I think Felton might do well in the slot. He has good hands, some twitch, and can produce YAC.

I know this is a DPJ thread, but you mentioned Landry in the slot and Cooper's ability to play from that position as well. Here's something I read yesterday. I think they could be interchangeable in many formations and add even more nuance, resulting in more pre-snap "guessing" by opposing defenses...

21. JARVIS LANDRY, CLEVELAND BROWNS
OBJ has had a tough time finding his footing with Baker Mayfield, but Landry is on the other end of the spectrum. The former Miami Dolphin has notched an 80.0-plus receiving grade in each of the past two seasons, forming a two-year mark that ranks 15th among qualifying wide receivers.

Landry, who was once infamously known for being only a slot weapon, accomplished those feats while seeing more reps on the outside. He ran the highest rate of routes from the outside in his career in both 2019 and 2020, combining to produce the sixth-best receiving grade on those plays. He went from the 22nd percentile in grade against single coverage in 2017 and 2018 to the 90th percentile on such reps in 2019 and 2020.

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-wide-receiver-rankings-32-best-wrs-entering-2021-nfl-season

j/c

Having physical attributes is a great thing. Being highly coveted coming out of high school is a great thing. But just as making the transition from HS to college is difficult, making the transition from college to the NFL is difficult. The bust rate of WR's is huge. Thus far other than his physical attributes, DPJ has shown nothing to indicate he is worthy of being a #2 WR in the NFL. Possibly a #3 but even then he wouldn't be that if he weren't on a team that had a poor WR core. Maybe watson can get more out of him. But we see time and time again where people rely more on hopes and dreams of what a player can be once they put on a Browns uniform rather than what that player actually is.

Can't disagree with any of that. Well, maybe the "nothing" part, I say he really hasn't had a fair shake yet. Limited looks as a rookie with decent returns... thrown to the wolves in 2021 with a "revolving door" WR room, a many times dysfunctional offense, and an injured QB. Particularly when injured QB basically shunned him in two games when he needed him most, because of a drop and a mixed-message INT. Now sure, those two things support your case, in a sense, but I think we're firmly in "jury is still out" territory.

And there is very little question about upside.

Big, strong, quick, great hands (don't use drops to refute that, everybody drops a few balls), seems to always "open the window" wide enough for the QB to feel the breeze... and is ready to catch the ball. Bodies up with defenders well. Not elite speed, but speeds through his gears.

The upside is a pleasure to watch...

No offense to anyone, but PFF doesn't seem to consider a ball as dropped unless the ball is perfect, hits the receiver perfectly in stride, with no defender within 6 feet, and a blind man would have had a more than reasonable of catching it.

Yes, that is slight hyperbole, but only slight. I have looked up receivers who have had multiple drops in a single game, (unrelated to our team) at the end of a season, and have seen them with a season total of 1 or 2.

A few things. I clearly stated that I saw him as a guy who may be able to be our #3 WR. Teams run 3 and 4 WR sets at times and we'll probably run more of that now that we have a qb.

Secondly, DPJ is never going to be a quick twitch guy. It's part of the reason he lasted until the second round. However, he does well on contested catches, has good speed and strength. Cuts well coming out of the break on longer routes, and can be a guy who contributes.

Finally, this is not about hopes and dreams. Good God! It's about what I have seen w/my own eyes and the strengths and weaknesses of a particular player. Some people have to bring their crap to every freaking thread that is aimed at talking about football, whether it be fabricated comments on hopes and dreams or making juvenile comments about Watson on a thread about Woods' defensive scheme.

And there I was thinking it was a good discussion thread without personal attacks.

On topic, I think that DPJ is a quality 3/borderline 2. He's a nice, big play guy, but drops too many easy passes. I do think that he is still developing, though.

DPJ really looks the part of a #2-WR. Strong , catch radius, good hands. Not a blazer but he can out run
CBs. I think he is very inconsistant though. He hasn't been able even to put together 2 productive
Games back to back. He only had 1-100 yd game last year. 597 yds 3 TDs isnf going to cut
After OBJ was,released, DPJ should have took his game to another level. Perfect opportunity
To seize the moment. He looks like Andre Johnson but he plays like Mohammed Massaqiou.
He needs to be able to learn to high point the ball the ball better stop telegraphing his routes
I have yet to see him have that mindset of "I cant be stopped"
He needs to play with more swag and the mindset of dominating.

Sorry for getting irritated. I have no problems w/people criticizing DPJ. I can't even say that I believe he will be good. I was just talking some football.

What irritated me are the comments about a hope and a prayer when it comes to a Brown's player. For those of you who have been around from the beginning, you know that I have probably been more critical of players than almost everyone on here. I despised Couch and y'all almost ran me off the board. I pointed out Brady Quinn's faults long before anyone else. I told y'all about Trent Richardson and his lack of vision when all thought he was great. I ripped Weeden when others were making excuses for him. I criticized TJ Ward when all were saying how great he was. Who was that big, fat DT when Mangini was here. I called him out all the time for his lack of effort. I slammed Bademosi when others defended him. Obviously, I have been hard on Baker. I could go on and on and on.

I don't rely on hopes and dreams. I call it the way I see it. I sure as hell did not proclaim DPJ as some great receiver. I was just trying to talk some football and I think it's important to consider that some of these guys who have been getting trashed might need to be reevaluated now that we have a good QB. My post was not based on hopes and dreams.

I have to edit this..........remember all the heat I took regarding "Leon?" Oh goodness........those were fun times. I might have to post a Leon commercial just for old-times sake.

On the other hand, you have also crowned Watson as "elite". He'd better be, for what he's getting monetarily. And I don't want any "he doesn't have the weapons" crap.

Best running back combo in the league. Top notch o line. And these 'elite" qb's make receivers better.

Based on what many on here have posited about Watson over Baker, I have serious expectations of a super team.

No excuses for not being great. (according to the baker haters on here, that is)

Are you saying that there were not posters who said/say we had the worst WRs in the league, blamed the OL for sacks, criticized our coaches when defending Baker?

Fairly certain I didn't say that. If I did, could you link to it?

But, I'll play your game (and a game that too many on here play) Are you saying you support fish not being hooked?

See how easy that is, to "question" what someone says, but never said?

So, you're saying you like turds? (question mark there)

I know you know this and just mistyped. DPJ was a day 3 pick in the 6th round. Just posting to clarify for the board.

Thank you for posting drop numbers.

This was supposed to be a response for Vers.

arch, look at what I said again. I didn't say you. I said "posters." I can definitely PM you links of others saying those things. I really don't want to put them here. It's a DPJ thread, or at least it was.

LOL.........sorry about that and thanks for the correction. I can't believe I typed that.

DPJ is marginal at best.

That doesn't sound like a big deal,,,, ,Must be my imagination

Four drops might be a little high because he probably wasn't targeted a lot. While watching, I never thought to myself that he had a hands issue, but again, 4 drops might be a little high for how many times he was targeted.

Edit: He was targeted 58 times and had 34 receptions. His receiving grade was 67, which is in the green zone. Blue is elite, dark green, then light green, then yellow, orange, red. His overall grade was 65.7. That's in the green zone, as well. I'm guessing his blocking knocked his grade down a bit. You would think w/his build that he would be a good blocker.

J/C

I think it was worthy to start a thread about DPJ because IMO he struggled most when he became the #1 WR by default. He’s gonna do much better as that WR opposite Cooper (and hopefully one other guy).

He’s already performed above his draft slot and has given us some good stuff in 2 years.

I remember listening to Cleveland Browns daily and Beau Bishop and Nathon Zegura from last season mid/ early December, some time after the Bengals game, (maybe weeks after), and one of them made the comment,
" We can't rely on DPJ's 4 catches a month, " ... for a passing offense.

We'll see if DPJ can improve his play, his MO at TTUN was that he didn't spend a whole lot of time trying to improve his game and that's why he was in Harbaugh's doghouse quite a bit.

He lasted until the 6thh round, not the second round. Pick #187

Go on with more of your personal attacks now.

If he ends up being the WR on the opposite side of Cooper DW is in trouble. People seem to forget the WR's DW had in Houston in 2020.

Brandon Cooks
Will fuller
Randall Cobb
Kenny Stills

That's disturbing news.

DPJ Reminds me of Derrick Alexander our 29th overall pick in the 1st round in 1994 ...

There’s a name from the past! Loved Alexander

I see DPJ as one of those guys that is a #2 that looks like they could be a #1, but never should be. Not that he's at the same level as Juju, but I can see him getting there. That said, he's a steal.

Unsurprising really, guy was a freak athlete at the combine and did jack squat at SCUM.

This is year 3 and he was a 6th rounder so it's this year or next if ever wants another contract so if money at all entices him, I expect he will be putting in the work.

His QB play around him at ichigan was trash. DPJs biggest mistake was excepting their scholarship. If he’d played at a number of other colleges that would have scholarshipped him, he’d have put up numbers. Instead he went to Harbaugh’s dysfunctional mess. Name a decent QB Harbaugh has coached at ichigan. Name DPJs ichigan QB.
I rest my case.

I'm not sure the FO is sold on him either, he was pretty inconsistent. But I know they believe Watson will elevate the WR play. Just by not having to make shoe-string catches and jump 80 ft in the air for them. But theres alot of heat around us trading for Samuels or Shenault as well as taking one in the draft.. I'm actually excited this year for the draft. These are the drafts that good GM's show themselves. Talent pool is muddy and we are short on draft capital, but man I love how aggressive this FO is. They will turn over any position if they think it makes them better, but even more is the way they reward guys.

Agreed. We now have a GM that knows what he is doing. I believe we'll get 3 or 4 good players from this draft that will contribute right away. It's a deep draft.