USC Legend Amon-Ra St. Brown Gains Future Practice Competition in New Mock Draft

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Lorenzo J. Reyna | Last updated Mar 4, 2025 12:36 AM ET

USC Trojans legend Amon-Ra St. Brown has faced his share of towering, athletic, and high-profile cornerbacks. St. Brown owns three Pro Bowl appearances while facing weekly stout competition in the NFL.

Now he's projected to have future competition in practice -- in the form of one of the more highly-intriguing cornerbacks entering the 2025 NFL Draft.

St. Brown's Detroit Lions are predicted to now grab Azareye'h Thomas out of Florida State in the first round, with NFL Network draft expert Lance Zierlein plugging the projection Monday.

"Detroit could go in a few directions here, but improving the back end with a long, physical, press-man cornerback might be the top priority," Zierlein wrote.

Detroit indeed needs upgrades at CB. They've rolled with smaller, quicker options with Aaron Glenn as defensive coordinator. But now Glenn is off to the New York Jets, where he's taking over the head coaching reins. The Lions can now opt to land a taller, longer option like the FSU star.

Thomas checks in at nearly 6-foot-2 and 197-pounds. He's a press man coverage CB who knows how to get physical with wideouts. Thomas turned to his length to disrupt the route timing of his opposing WRs. He's earned comparisons to Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl winner Jaylen Watson by Zierlein.

But St. Brown gains new practice competition should the Lions take Thomas at No. 28 overall on April 24. St. Brown gets a more imposing CB to work against during training camp then game week practices. This becomes a new "iron sharpens iron" scenario for St. Brown.

Thomas was a four-star signing for the Seminoles in the 2022 class. The 20-year-old leaves Tallahassee with 95 total tackles, 64 solo stops, 15 pass deflections, and two interceptions through 37 games played.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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