There's no denying Amon-Ra St. Brown's resume through two NFL seasons. There's also no denying his importance to the Detroit Lions, as a budding leader and as the best wide receiver on the team.
The Lions got a small glimpse of life without St. Brown on the field last season, when he missed a game and was banged up in a couple others. Any long-term injury for him this season would be a nightmare scenario for the team, and obviously a significant detriment to the offense being among the league's best again.
Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports recently named one "overvalued" player from each NFC North team. He started by clarifying the full meaning of the word "overvalued" in the piece.
"Overvalue can have many different meanings in the NFL. Is a player relied on too much? Is that player overpaid and not living up to the "value" of their contract?Jeff Kerr, CBS Sports
How will these overvalued players be determined? These players will go by the definition, the players teams put "too much importance on" to win football games. Not all these players are quarterbacks, as teams certainly are too dependent on players who reside on the other side of the football."
With that, St. Brown was Kerr's "overvalued" choice for the Lions.
Amon-Ra St. Brown's importance to the Detroit Lions can't be overstated
"With Jameson Williams suspended and D.J. Chark departing in free agency, St. Brown is the most reliable receiver on the Lions depth chart. He'll have a tall task early in the season with Williams out, although having a veteran presence in Marvin Jones and Josh Reynolds will help...Jeff Kerr, CBS Sports
Will St. Brown have enough pass catchers to help him out until Williams returns? That's what the Lions are banking on early in the season. St. Brown is good enough to produce, but having another pass catcher step up will make his job easier.
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Kerr isn't calling St. Brown overvalued in the sense we may easily think of it, in a negative light. He simply spotlighted how important "The Sun God" is to the Lions, while suggesting he's too important in the grand scheme of the rest of a lagging wide receiver depth chart. That's not exactly a revelation for Lions fans in either sense.
St. Brown's importance to the Lions cannot be overstated. It's not that he will wilt under any pressure, but the pressure on him is inherent until shown otherwise.