A year after the Indianapolis Colts selected Michael Pittman in the draft, the USC Trojans have another top receiver eligible for the draft. This year, it is Amon-Ra St. Brown. He is a true slot receiver and already has a sibling in the league, Equanimeous St. Brown, who is playing for the Green Bay Packers. The two are similar in some ways, but Amon-Ra is the better player.
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Player Bio
Name: Amon-Ra St. Brown
Jersey: #8
Position: Wide Receiver
School: USC
Class: Junior
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 194 lbs
Route Tree (9.25/10)
USC’s route tree limited St. Brown. Even if he didn’t run a ton of routes for the Trojans, his technique in and out of his routes shows he can run every route. This trait isn’t graded out higher due to the fact St. Brown doesn’t have experience with a complete route tree.
Hands (8.75/10)
There are a few rare occasions where St. Brown drops some passes. Most of the time, he can easily catch the ball, but sometimes, he looks upfield before securing the catch.
Contested Catch (8.5/10)
Even though St. Brown doesn’t play on the outside, he is still capable of winning in contested catch situations. He will be close in coverage with a defender and can pluck the ball out of the air and take a hit.
RAC (9.5/10)
USC used St. Brown in a variety of screens and mesh concepts. He was even in the backfield as a running back at times for the Trojans. St. Brown doesn’t have elite speed, but his physicality and shiftiness are an advantage with the ball in his hands.
Speed (7.75/10)
This is the main area of concern. He has been clocked in the mid 4.5s and low 4.6s for his 40-yard dash times. St. Brown’s playing speed looks to be much quicker than that.
Fluidity (9/10)
St. Brown makes everything look easy. He can break in and out of his routes on a dime and does it while still being able to pluck the ball out of the air.
Release (9.5/10)
St. Brown uses his technique to his advantage off of the line of scrimmage. With his technique and physicality off of the line of scrimmage, he usually gets separation against man coverage. He uses his hips, head, and feet to his advantage off of the line of scrimmage to get the defender to bite, and it happens more often than not.
Vertical Receiving (8.25/10)
His 40 time may be slow, but his play speed is quick. He can take the top off of the defense, and that was shown against the Fighting Irish in 2019.
Athleticism (8.5/10)
Though the Trojans used St. Brown in a variety of ways, his athleticism is a bit limited. He is extremely physical, quick, and can jump high, but his speed isn’t enough. He has been timed in the 4.5s and low 4.6s.
Blocking (5/5)
St. Brown is excellent in his blocking. He helps set up receiver screens for his teammates that end up getting first-down yardage and more. Playing in the slot, he can also be one of the lead blockers for running backs.
Injury (4.5/5)
St. Brown had a sports hernia surgery before the 2020 season started. He has since recovered and had a solid start to his 2020 campaign.
Player Summary
St. Brown isn’t getting enough attention in another stacked receiver class. He is a great technician that uses his football IQ to his advantage. The main knock on him is the fact that he doesn’t have elite speed. St. Brown is best fit in a system that already has a dynamic number one receiver that takes a safety away and can let him work underneath and use his shiftiness to his advantage. In this case, Keenan Allen is a perfect comparison as a player that uses their technique to get open, despite having some speed concerns.
Final Grade (88.5/100): Mid First-Round Pick
Player Comparison: Keenan Allen
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