Amon-Ra St. Brown | USC 5’9” 197 lbs. 10/24/1999 (Age 21)
Amon-Ra St Brown was drafted 112th overall by the Detroit Lions, becoming the 17th wide receiver and 112 overall player in the 2021 NFL Draft.
COLLEGE PRODUCTION
Amon-Ra St Brown has 178 receptions for 2,270 yards in his three-year college career at USC. St Brown hit the ground running as a freshman, producing early in his career catching 60 passes for 750 yards and three touchdowns for the Trojans. He followed up his solid freshman season with a stellar sophomore outing hauling in 77 receptions for 1,042 yards and 6 touchdowns. Covid-19 cut the Trojans 2021 season to just six total games but he still managed 478 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. He posted 33.10% of his team’s offensive production averaging 2.33 adjusted yards per team pass attempt, and 1.38 adjusted yards per team play.
St Brown is a versatile receiver who proved over his last two seasons at USC he can play both inside and outside. He’s a refined route runner and exhibits crafty release techniques even though he lacks above-average footwork and quickness. While he has a feel for defenders and a knack for creating space, St Brown could struggle against stronger cornerbacks and his underwhelming speed and burst may limit his upside and ability to get over the top on defenses consistently. On the other hand, he possesses good contact balance after the catch which will translate well to the NFL.
ATHLETIC TESTING
At his USC Pro Day, Amon-Ra St Brown measured in at 5’9” and 197 lbs. Which equates to a BMI of 27.47. His best 40-yard dash time was 4.51-seconds which equates to a 95.23-Speed Score, and at 5’9” that is a 91.8-Height Adjusted Speed Score, both figures well below average furthermore highlighting his lack of elite speed and quickness.
St Brown looked plenty strong posting 20 reps on the bench press at just 197 lbs. While his 4.51 40-yard dash left something to be desired he did record an impressive 127-inch broad jump and 38.5 inches vertical again displaying his dynamic athletic ability. His father is a former two-time Mr. Universe bodybuilder and his brother is a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers, he should have no issues making the transition athletically to the NFL.
DRAFT ANALYSIS
Rapid Reaction to Draft Capital: Average
Rapid Reaction to Landing Spot: Great
St. Brown was selected with the 112-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.
FANTASY INSIGHTS
St Brown is a twitchy, dynamic playmaker whose best plays are made in the short area where he can use his quick release and smooth acceleration through routes to deceive defenders. He’s unlikely to fill the role of a WR1 for Lions but he has the potential to be a starting slot receiving in this league, which can provide great PPR fantasy production.
With 4th round draft capital he’s almost certainly dropped into the late second maybe even early third round in rookie drafts but landing on the Lions are as good as it gets for a wide receiver drafted this late due to scarcity of the position on the current roster alone.
St Brown may not have the traits of a traditional NFL WR1 but his skill set has the potential to translate to a high-volume lower depth of target player for the Lions, especially given the lack of talent at the position currently.
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