Amon-Ra St. Brown cracks top-10 list, but NFC exec downplays his talent

ESPN has once again surveyed league executives, coaches, and scouts to rank the top-10 players at each position in the NFL, and this time it’s for the wide receivers.

As a quick reminder, the rankings process involved nearly 80 voters who submitted ballots. The results were compiled and ranked based on the number of top-10 votes, composite average, and extensive interviews, with additional insights from ESPN NFL analyst Matt Bowen while Jeremy Fowler led the charge.

The Detroit Lions have been well represented on the lists so far, with players like Penei Sewell, Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Frank Ragnow, and Sam LaPorta earning top-10 honors at their respective positions. On Wednesday, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown joined the aforementioned group and made a significant leap after being left off the list a year ago, securing the seventh spot in the wide receiver rankings (E$PN).

“He’s really tough,” an NFC offensive coach told ESPN. “You know where the ball is going on third down and he’s usually coming up with it.”

Ain’t that the truth? Since 2022, St. Brown ranks t-third among NFL pass-catchers in receptions on third down that resulted in a first down (43) behind only CeeDee Lamb (48) and Tyreek Hill (48). And since 2021, St. Brown’s 49 games played, missing just two contests since entering the NFL, is another testament to his toughness—as is playing through an oblique getting torn from a bone.

However, it wasn’t all praise from the anonymous sources.

“That scheme and what [offensive coordinator] Ben Johnson has done makes him look really good,” one NFC executive offered to ESPN. “Not taking anything away from him, but he’s more dependent on the scheme than some of the other receivers on this list.”

Despite finishing 2023 as one of the most well-rounded receivers from a statistical standpoint, it’s clear St. Brown hasn’t quite earned the kind of respect his play deserves. St. Brown finished t-second in receptions (119), third in receiving yards (1,515), and t-fourth in receiving touchdowns (10) among pass catchers last year, but going beyond the traditional counting numbers reveals an even more efficient, dependable, and versatile player than he’s given credit for being.

Of any receiver with at least 65 targets in 2023, St. Brown finished with the sixth-best drop percentage (3.3%), t-sixth in yards per route run (2.63), t-ninth in missed tackles forced (17), and t-16th in contested-catch rate (50%) according to Pro Football Focus.

In addition to the skepticism about St. Brown’s effectiveness independent from the Lions offensive scheme, the biggest issue ESPN notes about St. Brown is his six-foot, 202-pound frame. But the numbers clearly tell the story of receiver who plays bigger than his size and plays through serious injuries to provide that kind of production.

Only four receivers were unanimous selections for the list (Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, Ja’Marr Chase, and CeeDee Lamb).