Amon-Ra St. Brown is a wide receiver for the Detroit Lions. Born in Anaheim Hills, California, St. Brown played most of his high school football at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. He accumulated 2,922 yards receiving and 44 receiving touchdowns over the course of his high school career. He was a five-star recruit and committed to USC in 2018. As a 19-year-old true freshman at USC, St. Brown broke out, catching 60 passes for 750 yards and three touchdowns. He then went on to have the best season of his college career as a sophomore, racking up 1,042 receiving yards on 77 receptions. St. Brown declared for the NFL after a COVID-interrupted junior season when he played in only six games.
St. Brown was invited to the 2021 NFL Combine, but opted to test at USC’s Pro Day instead. There, he ran an uninspiring 4.61 40-yard dash. He did post an above average (61st-percentile) Agility Score and an 86th-percentile Burst Score. St. Brown was drafted with the seventh pick in the fourth round by the Detroit Lions.
St. Brown got off to a slow start in his rookie season. From weeks 1 through 12, he averaged only 6.9 fantasy points per game. However, from week 13 on - after injuries to T.J. Hockenson and DeAndre Swift - St. Brown's production spiked, as he averaged more than 25 fantasy points per game. He saw double digit targets in every game from week 12 on, running routes primarily out of the slot. The late season surge helped him amass a 21.4-percent target share on the season.
In 2022, St. Brown built on his rookie season and vaulted himself into the ranks of the elite receivers in the NFL. He finished the year with 106 receptions and 1,161 receiving yards on 146 targets. St. Brown was targeted often by Jared Goff (28.1-percent target share, No. 11) in the short areas of the field. He finished as the WR10 in fantasy points per game despite finishing No. 97 in Average Depth of Target. St. Brown solidified his role in an ascendant Lions offense in 2023, notching another 119 receptions (No. 2), 1,515 receiving yards (No. 5) on 164 targets (No. 3). All told, St. Brown finished the season as the WR5 in fantasy points per game.
