DETROIT – It just feels right, doesn’t it?
The Detroit Lions only made one trade at the deadline this season, sending a sixth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones.
So far, Peoples-Jones has only been mildly productive in his NFL career. He caught 61 passes for 839 yards and three touchdowns last season (his best), but through eight games this year, “DPJ” has just eight catches for 97 yards.
But in theory, he could fill a hole in the Lions’ offense. Jameson Williams has struggled since his return from suspension, leaving Detroit without a true deep threat to compliment Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds, and Sam LaPorta.
Peoples-Jones has always been a home run threat, averaging 15.7 yards per catch in his four-year career. The 24-year-old former sixth-round pick has plenty of speed and reliable hands, but dating back to his college days, the numbers have never quite matched the raw talent.
Peoples-Jones was a superstar at Cass Tech High School in Detroit. He was a five-star recruit, the top player in Michigan, and the No. 1 receiver in his class, according to the 247 Sports Composite rankings.
Even though he had offers from all the top programs around the country, Peoples-Jones elected to stay home and play for Michigan, where he caught 103 passes for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns across three seasons.
“That would mean everything,” Peoples-Jones said at the 2020 NFL Combine when asked what it would be like if he was drafted by the hometown Lions. “Growing up in the area, going to Michigan -- maybe if I went to Detroit, that would be everything. I love the Lions, love everything about the Lions.”
He wasn’t far from home in Cleveland, but now he’s back where he belongs in Detroit. The Lions are hoping he can recapture some of that high school success at Ford Field.
Peoples-Jones hasn’t exactly enjoyed great quarterback play in his college or pro careers. John O’Korn and Shea Patterson were his primary quarterbacks at Michigan, while the Browns trotted out the likes of Baker Mayfield, Jacoby Brissett, P.J. Walker, and (the bad version of) Deshaun Watson.
Jared Goff is an upgrade over everyone on that list. Maybe that will help Peoples-Jones find some of that old five-star magic.