How Amon-Ra St. Brown Can Improve in 2023
Amon-Ra St. Brown has already achieved a fair amount through his first two seasons in the NFL.
The 2021 fourth-round pick (No. 112 overall) has produced two consecutive seasons of at least 90 catches, 900-plus receiving yards and five-or-more reception touchdowns.
Impressively, he also racked up a 100-plus catch (106), 1,000-yard receiving (1,161) campaign in 2022, and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl for his efforts.
Yet, the 23-year-old still has room to grow as he enters his junior campaign as a pro.
"He (St. Brown) can get in and out of cuts so easily, like he doesn’t have to give all that extra stuff cause he can just get out of it so fast," Lions receivers coach Antwaan Randle El told reporters earlier this offseason. "So, I just want (him) to just run that smooth route. Like, you don’t have to give any extra at the top of it, just pop-pop, come on out of it and he’s been doing it in OTAs. So, that’s been a growth for him. So, no extra movement, just get in the route, come out of it, because he gets in the route so fast."
Randle El would also like to see St. Brown – who has amassed the eighth-most receptions in the NFL (196) over the last two seasons – to break more tackles and gain more yards after the catch in 2023.
The USC product averaged 4.9 yards after the catch, and broke seven tackles a season ago.
"A lot of it for him is the YAC, (and) reading those coverages over and over again," Randle El expressed. "And, he got so much better at it last year, and you saw that jump. So now, it’s like, 'All right, I kind of got it down, how can I perfect it over and over again, as it relates to where I need to be, when I need to be there.' And, that’s working back and forth with (Jared) Goff and knowing the coverages and seeing it."
St. Brown also finished the 2022 season seventh in the NFL in catches and 11th in the league in receiving yards.
In case you didn't realize it already, the California native is not only clearly the best pass-catcher in Detroit's receivers room. But, he's also become one of the best wideouts in the entire league.
And, if he improves upon his route-running ability and YAC production, he has a chance to be even more prolific in 2023 and beyond.
