Another week and another prolific performance from Amon-Ra St. Brown against the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he caught 11 passes (career-high) for 114 yards and two touchdowns. He continues to live up to his “Sun God” nickname with his supreme showings and strong work ethic that pushes him to be one of the best receivers in the league.
Even with those impressive tangibles, he has always had extra motivation after he fell to the fourth round to prove to everyone they made a mistake passing over him. Everyone should remember in Hard Knocks where he rattled out the 16 receivers taken before him and how he continues to carry that chip on his shoulder.
#Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown memorizes all 16 receivers drafted ahead of him as motivation. pic.twitter.com/B5W2JMFqUB
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 17, 2022
It is hard to imagine anyone else making the same impact St. Brown has made in Detroit. Even though he might not carry the prototypical body some may believe the top receiver should have, he is staking his name on the top receiver in Detroit and possibly in the league.
With almost two seasons under them, let’s see how the 16 receivers taken before St. Brown are fairing out statically so far in their career.
Ja’Marr Chase: 25 G, 135 catches, 2157 yards, 19 TDs
Jaylen Waddle: 28 G, 161 catches, 1987 yards, 12 TDs
DeVonta Smith: 29 G, 125 catches, 1627 yards, 9 TDs
Kadarius Toney: 15 G, 47 catches, 489 yards, 1 TD
Rashod Bateman: 18 G, 61 catches, 800 yards, 3 TDs
Elijah Moore: 22 G, 65 catches, 829 yards, 6 TDs
Rondale Moore: 22 G, 95 catches, 849 yards, 2 TDs
D’Wayne Eskridge: 20 G, 17 catches, 122 yards, 1 TD
Tutu Atwell: 8 G, 6 catches, 187 yards, 1 TD
Terrace Marshall Jr.: 22 G, 35 catches, 466 yards, 1 TD
Josh Palmer: 28 G, 90 catches, 965 yards, 7 TDs
Dyami Brown: 25 G, 17 catches, 308 yards, 2 TDs
Amari Rodgers: 26 G, 8 catches, 95 yards, 0 TD
Nico Collins: 24 G, 70 catches, 927 yards, 3 TDs
Anthony Schwartz: 25 G, 14 catches, 186 yards, 1 TD
Dez Fitzpatrick: 5 G, 5 catches, 49 yards. 1 TD
Amon-Ra St. Brown: 28 G, 166 catches, 1742 yards. 11 TDs
We will get to the top three in a little bit and focus on the receivers that followed for the time being. Toney could not find his footing for the New York Giants and is now trying to regain it as he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. Bateman has been respectable, but injuries continue to plague him. Elijah Moore had a monster first season, but his second season has been a complete disappointment trying to find his spot on the New York Jets offense.
Rondale Moore’s role became questionable when the Arizona Cardinals traded for Marquise Brown, but since found some footing. Eskridge has had two injury-riddled seasons for Seattle, and Atwell is buried on the depth chart as the Los Angles Rams continue to find other avenues in that department. Marshall was nearly non-existent during Matt Rhule’s tenure for the Carolina Panthers and fell behind. Palmer was behind Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, but with the continued injuries to the mentioned receivers, he has become an integral part of the Chargers offense.
Brown has not been able to pull out meaningful snaps in Washington and is a footnote in their receiver corps. Collins is quietly becoming the top receiver in Houston over Brandin Cooks. Schwartz and Fitzpatrick have not been panned out for the Titans and Browns so far, as Schwartz has been dealing with off-field issues, and Fitzpatrick was waived in his second season.
Realistically out of the group to compare St. Brown’s performance is the three receivers taken in the first round, which speaks volumes to the tremendous value Detroit got in the fourth round. First, Chase has been everything the Cincinnati Bengals were hoping for as a game-changer and a vital piece to their offense. Next, Waddle has created a dynamic tandem with Tyreek Hill for the Miami Dolphins explosive offense. Finally, Smith’s size has been put to bed with his top-notch speed and strong play-making ability for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Now the argument can become who has been more essential to their respective teams, and we can go down the rabbit hole at another time, but it’s hard to argue how much St. Brown means to the Lions. It is easy to see how different the offense looks with St. Brown on and off the field.
In the past 4 games, Amon-Ra St. Brown is 2nd in the NFL in receiving yards (431), only behind Davante Adams (518).
St. Brown is ahead of….
– Justin Jefferson (410)
– Stefon Diggs (345)
– CeeDee Lamb (372)— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) December 5, 2022
When targeting WR @amonra_stbrown, @Lions QB @JaredGoff16 is 76-of-100 (76%) for 830 yards, 6 TDs & 1 INT for a 115.8 QB rating (via @NextGenStats).
The 76.0% completion percentage from the duo is the @NFL's highest from any QB to a WR (100 att. min.).#ProBowlVote #OnePride pic.twitter.com/3hEt9AjDjY
— Detroit Lions PR (@LionsPR) December 5, 2022
Guy is so good. Now has 166 receptions through his first 2 NFL seasons, passing A.J. Green and Alvin Kamara for the 8th-most receptions through 2 seasons played in NFL history. https://t.co/Z592ed2pQZ
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) December 6, 2022
St. Brown is a vital piece in the Lions offense, and his chemistry with Jared Goff is magic in the air. It is no coincidence with the latest surge in production, the Lions have found their groove, winning four of their last five games and are in the playoff hunt. As shown, he has clearly played out of his draft position, giving the Lions a legit number-one receiver from the fourth round. The possibilities are endless with St. Brown on the field, and he is on the cusp of as one of the top receivers in the league.
