Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown gives NFL another reason to fear him

It's really no secret that Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best in the NFL in his position. There's a reason general manager Brad Holmes signed him to a four-year, $120,010,000 extension, according to Sportrac, to keep him with the team through the 2028 season.

So it must still feel good for the Lions to see Brown get kudos, especially when the Lions have invested so much in him.

So, is St. Brown one of the best wide receivers in the league? Absolutely. Now, he has more proof of that, too.

Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown named one of the top wide receivers in the NFL

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN has unveiled his list of the league's best wide receivers for 2026, based on a survey of NFL executives, coaches and scouts. These are people who really know something about football.

St. Brown is No. 5 on the tally. He's up from No. 8 last season.

"St. Brown activated beast mode several times in 2025, most notably on 'Thursday Night Football' in Week 14, when he produced 92 yards on a high ankle sprain despite three days of rest," Fowler said of St. Brown.

"Savvy, knack for getting open, plays faster than his timed speed," one NFL coordinator told ESPN. "He's putting continuous stress on you even when you know he's not going vertical. He has a unique way of working leverage."

The coordinator added that St. Brown is "strong" and "can separate at the point and is shifty, plays as if he's being disrespected at all times."

Numbers don't lie, and St. Brown's 582 yards after the catch last season were third among all league receivers. He's also the "only player with at least 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdown catches in each of the past three seasons," according to Fowler. 

Head coach Dan Campbell has one of the best wide receivers in the league.