The Detroit Lions’ draft class has looked good most of the year, but as the season has pushed to a close, things are looking even better for the team as a whole.
As the Lions’ undermanned team continues to fight to the finish this season, some themes are developing and one of them is the fact that the team could have found some bright stars that are shining that will be a big deal for the future of their franchise.
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ESPN’s Field Yates was watching the performance of the young Detroit players and came away impressed. As he said, with Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown, the team could have a pair of cornerstone players
The Lions look like they’ve drafted 2 franchise offensive cornerstones this year.
Penei Sewell has been as advertised and Amon-Ra St. Brown has been uncoverable for over a month.
“The Lions look like they’ve drafted 2 franchise offensive cornerstones this year. Penei Sewell has been as advertised and Amon-Ra St. Brown has been uncoverable for over a month,” Yates tweeted.
If the pair ended up being cornerstones, that would be huge for the Lions, who have needed to find those kind of players and struggled to do so for years. Their emergence for the team seems huge at this point in time, and it would be significant if they could prove to be this good.
Watch St. Brown’s Touchdown vs. Packers
Week 18 has been huge for St. Brown already. The rookie not only shattered Roy Williams’ franchise record for receiving yards in a season by a first-year player, he also find a way into the end zone. On fourth-down, the Lions targeted St. Brown, and he delivered a major catch for the team in the end zone to extend Detroit into the lead in the game.
The rookie sensation! Fourth straight game with a TD for @amonra_stbrown
📺: #GBvsDET on FOX
📱: NFL app
St. Brown has been on fire for the Lions down the stretch, and the catch he made in this game was one that could springboard him moving forward into 2022. The Lions have seen St. Brown come into his own with big plays, and the fact he turned another one in during the season finale is huge.
St. Brown Enjoying Special Rookie Season
St. Brown didn’t put up huge numbers at all until late in the year but he has come on very quickly to his credit to become an elite option. The 4 touchdown run is impressive, as is the number of yards that is being put up, 803 in total this year.
Still, it’s significant to see the young receiver getting better and better as the season has worn on. The Lions haven’t necessarily targeted St. Brown consistently this year until the second half, so it’s remarkable that he is producing as well as he is at this point in time in his rookie season in the league.
Here is St. Brown’s best play so far this year that played a role in the team winning, when he got into the end zone against Minnesota for the game-winning score in Week 13:
St. Brown is only gaining in confidence as the season wears on, and he is putting up some of the best statistics in the league as a result. As time goes by, it could prove him to be one of the biggest steals in the NFL draft.
That could be even more the case if he is indeed a cornerstone-type player for Detroit.
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Analyst: Lions Drafted Pair of ‘Offensive Cornerstones’ in 2021