After totaling 137 catches over his first two seasons at USC, Amon-Ra St. Brown led the Pac-12 in receptions (41) and touchdown receptions (seven) during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign (six games). He was not hard to see as a potential draft sleeper, and he fell to the fourth round (No. 112 overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft.
We know the Detroit Lions took St. Brown, and he has done nothing but deliver over the last two-plus seasons. We also know the chip he carries on his shoulder from being the 17th receiver taken in the 2021 draft, as he has become a core player in the success Detroit has had and looks sure to keep having for awhile.
But how could so many other teams have missed so badly on the "Sun God'? He certainly came in on the smaller side (5-foot-11 and 1/2, 197 pounds at the 2021 NFL Combine), and thus he was easy to dismiss, set aside and pigeonhole as a slot receiver. Most, if not all, of the 17 wide receivers drafted before him could have been deemed more physically gifted than him.
But the Lions, to their credit, tried to get a measure of the man behind the measurables. They ended up being right about St. Brown's fit into the culture they were trying to build.
How fast did Amon-Ra St. Brown run the 40-yard dash at the 2021 Combine?
Even with the ongoing realization that the track and field style drills at the NFL Combine aren't necessarily meaningful in determining actual football-playing ability, bigger, faster, etc. is always going to be better than the alternative. When it comes to wide receivers, "small and slow" is the quickest way to tumble down the draft board.
To that end, St. Brown paired a lack of ideal size (as previously mentioned) with a very slow 40-yard dash time at the 2021 Combine. 4.61 seconds, to be exact.
40-yard dash times from four of the top NFL WRs coming out of college
— Legit Football (@_legitfootball) July 8, 2024
1. Brandon Aiyuk (4.50)
2. DeAndre Hopkins (4.57)
3. Puka Nacua (4.57)
4. Amon-Ra St. Brown (4.61) pic.twitter.com/bG59YKwyWy
On the field, with pads and a helmet on, St. Brown is tough, reliable, elusive and plenty fast/explosive enough. He's not the first, and he won't be the last, example of how the 40-yard dash (good or bad) is a flawed tool to place great importance on during the evaluation of draft prospects.