Amon-Ra St. Brown finished 2021 as one of the hottest wide receivers in the NFL. It was a triumphant flourish for a fourth-round rookie who struggled to find his role in the Detroit Lions’ offense early in the year.
St. Brown’s 51 catches over the final six weeks of the season were the second-most in the league behind only Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp. His Lions, winless to that point, finished 2021 on a relative 3-3 heater, knocking off the Vikings, Cardinals and an Aaron Rodgers-less Packers team to build hope for 2022. As a result, he’s become a commodity; a top-30 fantasy receiver despite playing alongside a low-impact quarterback in Jared Goff.
This doesn’t mean he’s forgotten how NFL teams let him slip to Day 3 of last year’s draft.
#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
St. Brown can recite all 16 wide receivers who were drafted ahead of him, from the stars (Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle) to the players who have yet to leave a meaningful impact on Sunday afternoons (Amari Rodgers, Tutu Atwell, Dyami Brown). It’s motivation in the vein of Draymond Green, who lasted until the 35th pick of the 2013 NBA Draft and memorized the 34 names called before his en route to four All-Star appearances and four NBA Championships (and counting).
There’s an interesting parallel there. A less-than-desirable draft pick who played his college ball in Michigan and then starred in California helped inspire a less-than-desirable draft pick who played his college ball in California and now stars in Michigan.
St. Brown took the league by surprise by exploding onto the scene late in 2021. He won’t have the luxury in 2022, but if his stint on Hard Knocks is any indication, he’s got plenty of motivation to rise up to his next challenge.