Bleacher Report gives Amon-Ra St. Brown a significant but slam-dunk accolade

The foundation of the Detroit Lions' rise to success in recent years has been built in the draft. Part of Brad Holmes' first draft class as general manager, the idea wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown could be a fourth-round steal has been fully proven. Over the last three seasons, only one NFL player has more receptions than the 340 the "Sun God" has.

St. Brown went viral a couple years ago on the Netflix series "Wide Receiver" for being able to name each of the 16 wide receivers who were taken before him in the 2021 NFL Draft. But he had already revealed that chip on his shoulder, telling Doug Kyed (then of Pro Football Focus) in January of 2022 how he kept track of what those receivers who were drafted before him are doing statistically.

"I keep track of these receivers, also. I see what they’re doing, check their stats and just keep pushing", St. Brown said.

Even though he's now one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL, it's easy to envision St. Brown still keeping track of those 16 wide receivers who were drafted before him. It's also easy to see him using pen-and-paper to track what they're doing during the season, week-to-week, journal-style.

Bleacher Report gives Amon-Ra St. Brown an easy and appropriate accolade

St. Brown will make lists of draft steals from whatever timespan that still covers the 2021 draft until further notice. Damian Parson of Bleacher Report easily put him on a fresh list of eight steals from that draft heading into 2025 training camp.

B/R's Matt Holder went a step further to name St. Brown the biggest gem from the 2021 draft, noting how the bad combination of being tabbed as small (5-foot-11 and a 1/2) and slow (4.61-second 40-yard dash) greased the skids of a draft slide.

"St. Brown measured in at 5’11½” and ran a 4.61-second 40-yard dash, which were in the 28th and 16th percentiles, respectively, for wide receivers according to MockDraftable."

"On top of that, his scouting report noted he "Doesn't consistently create separation" and "struggles to accelerate quickly after the catch."

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Holder acknowledged how the 2021 draft has plenty of candidates for the title of "biggest gem", but St. Brown's resume (three Pro Bowl selections, two First Team All-Pro nods) clearly stands apart from the rest.

"So, while the 2021 draft class has several gems to choose from, with multiple All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections included in the list below, none of their resumes compare to the two-time first-team All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler's."

In St. Brown, the Lions saw beyond measurables to someone they felt would be a fit for the culture they wanted to establish. They've been proven totally correct in that assessment, and many of the teams that passed on him will continue to hugely regret it.