Finding Broncos: Scouting USC Wide Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown
Welcome to Finding Broncos, our annual prospect-by-prospect series deep-diving on the coming NFL draft class. The scouting continues with USC wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, a talented prospect but does he fit the Denver Broncos?
Measurables
- Height: 6 foot 1
- Weight: 195 pounds
Stats
Sports-Reference.com
Pros
- Has elite hand-eye coordination with great ball tracking to attack every level of the field.
- Tough as nails.
- Has good but not great athleticism.
- Runs good routes with a good understanding of the nuances of it.
- Reliable hands especially in contested catch situations.
- Has extra juice to get instant separation underneath or catch up to deep shots.
- Has enough after the catch ability to be a threat on quicker passes.
- Has really good footwork off the line that could help with press.
- There is plenty of big-play potential.
- Versatile to work in the slot, on the boundary, and help on special teams.
- Very high football IQ with a great understanding of situations and how to help the quarterback.
- Willing to take punishment over the middle of the field to help his team.
Cons
- Does have 13 drops over three years, so he isn’t immune.
- Has limited exposure to press coverage to be confident in his ability to get through it.
- When he has good space, he sometimes doesn’t see the catch in with thinking about what to do after the catch.
- Can get punished by physical corners through his routes.
- Some wasted movement during his routes and after the catch.
- Willingness as a blocker can be hit or miss.
Overview
Amon-Ra St. Brown is a really interesting prospect because he just seems safe, for the most part. It would be nice to see a little cleaner hands from him, but he is tough and can work the middle, as well as offer up some deep playability.
It would also be nice to see the physical play he brings to be more consistent through his routes and not get bullied as often as he can. He can fit in nicely as a number three receiver for a team with the inside/outside versatility.
Fit with Broncos
While St. Brown can fit in with what the Broncos do on offense, it depends on where he ends up getting drafted. Denver invested big on their receivers a year ago, and St. Brown just doesn’t offer up a unique trait to make it worth additional investment early on.
Outside of that, you can easily make him work in the scheme and really help make your passing game even more versatile, but it all comes down to the value vs the investment with St. Brown.
Grade: Round 3
Where he goes: Round 3
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