Getty Amon-Ra St. Brown makes a catch and runs down the sidelines for the Lions in 2022.
The Detroit Lions watched as wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown became a star before their very eyes late in the 2021-22 season, but the question lingering on everyone’s mind is can the rookie sustain that level of production in the future.
Often times, players burst on the scene in the NFL and make a huge early impression. From there, they fail to rise to the occasion again and lack consistency for one reason or another. Sometimes, they received too much hype and do not put in the work to sustain greatness.
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In St. Brown, the Lions have a player they believe will be different. The pass catcher is one of the most motivated players on the team and is routinely putting in the work after practice to be great with extra practice and catches. That kind of commitment and attention to detail is one way to avoid plateauing, and analysts believe that St. Brown is going to remain a force in the league due to that and other variables.
ESPN’s Field Yates recently was presenting some fantasy football awards on Fantasy Focus Live, and as he admitted, St. Brown was a popular player thanks to his late-season heroics. Whether or not that kind of production can be sustained is likely on the minds of plenty folks, but as Yates sees it, that’s not going to be a problem for St. Brown.
“Happy for him, happy for the Lions. I am so excited about this player. I think he’s got an incredibly bright future. I don’t think this is a fluke,” Yates explained. “I understand they don’t have a bunch of other of pass catchers right now that they can throw to but, the eye test. At some point, you just can’t ignore it. Just can’t ignore it.
St. Brown passed the eye test in a major way late last year and has managed to get on the radars of everyone as a result. As Yates says, he has talent that simply cannot be denied at this point in time, and he has passed the all-important eye test.
Humility Will Help St. Brown During Future
St. Brown enjoyed a big finish to the season and has received a lot of press for doing so, but even in spite of that, he has remained humble. The receiver understands this season was a simple starting point for him and continued to spread the love around for what he was able to accomplish.
“It’s a credit to my teammates, credit to the coaches and to the people around me.”
“It’s a credit to my teammates, credit to the coaches and to the people around me. Without them, I couldn’t have done what I’ve done this year. I think hard work, patience, opportunity, when those all come together it’s awesome to see,” St. Brown said after the game against Green Bay.
This is such a rare mindset for a young player to have, and is very reminiscent of what Barry Sanders brought to the Lions for years. Sanders routinely shied away from the spotlight and deferred credit to his teammates or other players for what he was able to do and how he was able to star. It’s a special approach for the Lions to have.
That humility could be another reason that St. Brown is able to remain successful. There are no shortcuts to success and it takes a village to have it in the first place. Seeing St. Brown recognize that is certainly notable.
St. Brown Enjoyed Historic Finish to 2021-22 Season
St. Brown left no doubt about his future with the performance in the season-finale against the Packers. The rookie not only shattered Roy Williams’ franchise record for receiving yards in a season by a first-year player in the game, he also find a way into the end zone and collected 109 yards on the day. In addition to the touchdown, St. Brown looked like a major weapon most of the afternoon for the Lions catching and running with the ball.
St. Brown has been on fire for the Lions down the stretch, and the fact he finished with 912 receiving yard and 5 touchdowns will simply springboard him moving forward into 2022. The Lions have seen St. Brown come into his own with big plays, and he has looked like a future dynamo in waiting for the team’s offense.
Most understand that St. Brown doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, and that’s great for the Lions in 2022.