We are entering Week 16, and the Arizona Cardinals are looking to stay alive for playoff contention. After a win over the Philadelphia Eagles last week, they now host the San Francisco 49ers, a team they beat in Week 1 to open the season
On top of that, we are also one week closer to the NFL draft and the Arizona Cardinals have some pretty big holes to fill at certain positions. One position that has started to become concerning for their future is at wide receiver. Outside of DeAndre Hopkins, they need a true wide receiver two. Larry Fitzgerald has had a Hall of Fame career. However, he is getting up there in age and is currently on a one-year contract. Christian Kirk is under contract until 2022. There have certainly been flashes out of him, but is it enough to be a solidified second option? Andy Isabella has certainly shown flashes, but he has not really proven enough to be in the wide receiver two mix.
Looking ahead into the draft, this is another deep wide receiver class. One wide receiver that has had an impressive season despite COVID concerns is USC’s Amon-Ra. St Brown.
The USC standout has had an impressive career and should be in the conversation for being a first-round talent wide receiver. Last season, St. Brown broke 1,000 receiving yards and six touchdowns while not having as much of the spotlight on him, as Michael Pittman Jr. was a significant role in their offense. St. Brown stands 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds and despite an unusual college football season, he has been nothing short of impressive. His stats this season might not wow you. Granted, they did only play five games and were affected by cancellations. St. Brown did not have a very diverse route tree at USC, but his speed and technique are so crisp it almost makes you overlook that case. He does an outstanding job creating separation and has done so with multiple defenders on him while showing off his speed after the catch. St. Brown is a wide receiver in this draft class that should be talked about more. Despite the unprecedented times we are in right now, he is still making the most of it and would be a nice fit for the Cardinals.
The main weakness for St. Brown is his consistency in blocking. There has not been a major concern, but this is an area where he has started to improve on, despite the limited season. However, there are times when St. Brown will let his technique get in the way of him and create holding penalties, especially with defenders bigger than he is. This is not much of a red flag, but it is an area that he will have to improve on, and he has the talent to do so.
Amon-Ra. St Brown should be talked about more in this stacked wide receiver draft class. His career at USC has been both consistent and impressive. He has some traits to work on, but St. Brown has a bright NFL future, and he would fit really well with the Cardinals.
[vertical-gallery id=447498]
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Latest show:
Previous shows:
and