The Detroit Lions have one of the best playmakers in the game. Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best and most elusive wide receivers in the league, but his name isn't mentioned as often as some of his peers'.
Perhaps that's due to some recency bias, given that the Lions' offense regressed without Ben Johnson last season. Maybe it's because they still don't trust Jared Goff, and that affects how they view their weapons.
Whatever the case, St-Brown has somewhat become criminally underrated. That's why, unfortunately, it wasn't much of a surprise to hear that legendary wide receiver Terrell Owens snubbed him from his top-five wide receiver list.
Terrell Owens leaves Amon-Ra St. Brown out of top-5 WR list
“Right now, I would say Puka, Davante Adams, DeVonta Smith – I like him – Justin Jefferson and A.J. Brown,” Owens told Sports Illustrated.
Granted, to each his own, and Owens' list is pretty decent. That said, St-Brown has been way too good for way too long, and his numbers and tape would justify being ahead of both Adams and Smith at the very least.
Even with the Lions' offense struggling to be at its best last season, St. Brown had one of the best seasons of his career. His 172 targets were the most he's ever drawn, and he hauled in his second-most receptions (117), receiving yards (1,401), and touchdowns (11).
St. Brown has already outplayed his draft stock and most of the pass-catchers taken before him. He's had four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons after falling just shy of that goal as a rookie (912), and he's had at least 90 catches and 5 receiving touchdowns in every year he's been in the league.
He may not be the biggest or the fastest player at the position, but he's certainly one of the craftiest, and his ability to evade contact and pick up yards after the catch is second-to-none among slot receivers.
Notably, this should only be even more bulletin board material for St. Brown and the Lions' offense in 2026. It looks like the entire league is sleeping on Dan Campbell's team, and with a new offensive coordinator like Drew Petzing calling the shots, they might get back to the mountaintop in no time.
St. Brown has earned three All-Pro selections in five years in the league, including two first-team nods. He's also a four-time Pro Bowler. If that's not enough to be considered a top-five guy at the position, it might just be personal; what else can he do to get some credit?
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