USC Trojan Alumnus Amon-Ra St. Brown is now the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. The multilingual, gifted wide-out just inked a four-year, $120 million deal with the Detroit Lions.
On the eve of the 2024 NFL Draft, it is worth noting that 16 wide receivers were selected before St. Brown in 2021. It is also worth noting that wide receivers from USC have excelled in the NFL recently, particularly in light of the circumstance that there are two USC wide receivers in this year’s Draft.
The 16 Wide Receivers Selected Before USC Trojan Alumnus Amon-Ra St. Brown in the 2021 NFL Draft
Here’s a table that lists the 16 wide receivers selected before St. Brown in the 2021 NFL Draft. As revealed in the table, some of the receivers have been waived, some are reserves, and one is in the UFL.
| Player | Overall Pick | Original Team | Current Status |
| Ja’Marr Chase | 5 | Bengals | 3-Time Pro Bowler |
| Jaylen Waddle | 6 | Dolphins | 2021 All-Rookie Team |
| DeVonta Smith | 10 | Eagles | Starter |
| Kadarius Toney | 20 | Giants | Reserve |
| Rashod Bateman | 27 | Ravens | Starter |
| Elijah Moore | 34 | Jets | Starter |
| Rondale Moore | 49 | Cardinals | Starter |
| D’Wayne Eskridge | 56 | Seahawks | Reserve |
| Tutu Atwell | 57 | Rams | Reserve |
| Terrace Marshall, Jr. | 59 | Panthers | Reserve |
| Josh Palmer | 77 | Chargers | Starter |
| Dyami Brown | 82 | Commanders | Backup |
| Amari Rodgers | 85 | Packers | In UFL |
| Nico Collins | 89 | Texans | Starter |
| Anthony Schwartz | 91 | Browns | Waived (Practice Squad) |
| Dez Fitzpatrick | 109 | Titans | Waived (Practice Squad) |
Needless to say, if a re-draft of the 2021 Draft were possible, St. Brown would go early in the first round.
St. Brown was first-team All-Pro in 2023. The other two wideouts joining him on the first-team All-Pro squad are Tyreek Hill and CeeDee Lamb. St. Brown is in rarified air.
NFL Teams Will Undoubtedly Miss on Wide Receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft and Some of Those Misses Are Likely to Involve Selections Made Before USC Receivers Come Off the Board
Teams will inevitably select busts before diamonds in the rough during the 2024 NFL Draft.
In the 2023 NFL Draft, Puka Nacua was not selected until the fifth round. However, in a recent ESPN re-do of the 2023 Draft, Nacua is taken fourth overall in the entire draft.
Chargers WR Quentin Johnson, Raiders DE Tyree Wilson, and Commanders CB Emmanuel Forbes were all selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. None of them have lived up to expectations. They are generally regarded as first-round busts. The teams that drafted them would take Nacua instead of them in a heartbeat if they were afforded the opportunity for a re-do.
Of course, hindsight is 20/20. But, here is a prediction for the 2024 NFL Draft: Teams will come to regret selecting wide receivers and other position players before USC Trojan wide receivers Brenden Rice and Tahj Washington.
NFL Draft Buzz rates Rice as the No. 21 receiver and Washington as the No. 28 receiver in this Draft. In a recent CBS Sports mock draft, Rice is selected by the Patriots in the fifth round, and in an NFL.com mock draft, Washington is selected by the Rams in the sixth round.
Trojan Wide Receivers Have Excelled in the NFL
As previously reported here, USC is the best wide receiver-producing college football program in the country.
According to ESPN, the following are the top ten wide receiver-producing universities:
St. Brown is one example of this rich history of Trojan excellence at the wide receiver position. Three-time All-Pro Trojan alumnus Lynn Swann, who was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001, is another.
Here are six Trojan wide receivers currently in the NFL along with St. Brown:
Addison, London, Agholor, and Pittman are all listed by their teams as starters. Woods and Smith-Schuster have previously been starting NFL receivers.
Keep an eye out for where Rice and Washington land in the Draft.
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