Amon-Ra St. Brown joins a Lions receiving corps that is in major flux. With the top four wideouts from 2020 now all playing elsewhere, the receiving corps is at the beginning of a radical overhaul. Finding who fits where is one of the big challenges for head coach Dan Campbell, offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn and WR coach Antwaan Randle-El.
In a situation like that, being able to play multiple wide receiver spots is an invaluable trait. That’s where St. Brown’s versatility becomes a real asset.
The ability to line up at several different spots is something Lions head coach Dan Campbell stressed when talking about St. Brown in a recent interview on Sirius XM NFL Radio.
“He’s a competitor, he’s tough, he’s crafty, he’s smart, he’s versatile,” Campbell told hosts Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller. “He checks all these boxes. Is he a guy that’s going to run a 4.3? No, he’s not a 4.3 guy, but he plays fast, man. We just felt like he was an excellent addition. We think he can go in there and compete at slot receiver, but I think this kid has some outside flex to him, too. Just, again, we loved his approach.”
A look at his usage at USC shows the Trojans used St. Brown, 5-11 and 197 pounds, all over in his three seasons. From Pro Football Focus and PFF’s pre-draft guide,
St. Brown tended to make more big plays when breaking out of the slot, but his ability to present himself as a bigger target than he measures along the sidelines was something USC relied upon heavily in 2020.
Playing inside looks to be the easier path to playing time as a rookie. St. Brown is a more dynamic player than the one holdover from last year’s Lions, Quintez Cephus. Free agent signing Kalif Raymond is more of a one-dimensional speedster from the inside.
Playing outside could offer St. Brown a chance to prove himself as a change-of-pace for Breshad Perriman, who has incredible speed but an enigmatic overall experience in the NFL. He’s a lither target than Tyrell Williams on the outside, too.
The experience and ability to mix-and-match based on coverages is a real feather in St. Brown’s cap. He has some stylistic similarity to one of Lions QB Jared Goff’s favorite targets with the Rams, Cooper Kupp. If that chemistry develops early on, St. Brown could quickly move up the Detroit depth chart.
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