Detroit Lions: Amon-Ra St. Brown’s rookie year has been tasking

The Detroit Lions have not had a year to remember that is for sure. It’s a rebuild and that is evident across the team’s roster and struggles that have been seen. One of the players who was brought in this offseason via the draft has experienced this first hand.

In the 2021 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions opted to select Amon-Ra St. Brown with their fourth-round selection. The wide receiver out of USC was considered to be a great late-round grab for the Lions organization.

However, he was a fourth-round pick. He was not a first-round pick like Ja’Marr Chase or Jaylen Waddle. There were no expectations that St. Brown could jump in and be an incredibly impactful wide receiver right out of the gates, that was never the case.

Given the Lions’ 2021 season, St. Brown’s expectations have catapulted into that category. The Lions receiving core was thin. Then Tyrell Williams got hurt and later was released via injury settlement. Second-year player Quintez Cephus broke his collarbone which ended his season, leaving a lot of room for players to have to fill.

Detroit Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown has made the most of his rookie season.

St. Brown had to step up and be one of the team’s top options early on. It’s a tall task for a former fourth-round pick but it seems like he has been able to handle it. While his stats have not been off the walls or similar to that of the Cincinnati Bengals rookie mentioned above (Ja’Marr Chase).

Now, some more reports came out that the Lions are going to start working in St. Brown outside and giving him more opportunities there. The Lions have to like what they see and are trying to get St. Brown chances to stick with this receiving core that is already worrisome.

Campbell seemed to realize that St. Brown was thrown into the fire, noting that they may not have been using him in the best way for this team. That being said, it seems that the Lions are going to change this in the coming weeks.

For St. Brown, it should be a good thing. He will be able to try and find success in a new role and continue developing his game. So far in 2021, St. Brown has played in eight games where he has 27 receptions for 250 total yards.

It seems like he is going to be able to get even more looks and really make the most of his rookie season. Hopefully, the fourth-round pick can live up to some of the hype he had.