Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown can recite the names of all 16 wide receivers taken before him in the 2021 NFL Draft. He has also dramatically outdone most them, now into his fourth season. But that chip of his shoulder fuels him, and it's never going to go away.
In the wake of Davante Adams being traded to the New York Jets on Tuesday, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens appeared on FS1's "The Facility." He got into how offensive schemes can help or hurt receivers, naming St. Brown specifically out of nowhere while showing how highly he thinks of himself.
"I probably say schematically is the big thing in football. That's how you get Amon-Ra St. Brown, slot merchants, that's schematically getting fed the ball," Pickens said. “When it comes to that, I ain't playing QB, o-line, and defense all at once. So schematically, that's probably the biggest thing in that way for me to really show the world a bigger platform over my game style."
"I definitely feel like, you know, me averaging 18.1 (yards per reception) last season, in, what is it, year three? Yeah", Pickens said. "Not five, six, seven, eight or nine. So I definitely feel like I’m top five, top three just off of, I just got here. I definitely think I’m top five, if not better. Some guys, certain situations are better for certain receivers. That’s really the most I can say.”
George Pickens really called Amon-Ra St. Brown a “slot merchant” 😒 pic.twitter.com/Pq0k998snF
— Woodward Sports Network (@woodwardsports) October 16, 2024
George Pickens shows how little he knows about Amon-Ra St. Brown
After St. Brown signed his big contract in late-April, we outlined how he cannot be pigeonholed as just a slot receiver as his alignment has evolved. So far this season, Pro Football Focus data shows the same.
- 293 total snaps
- 6 lined up in the backfield
- 154 snaps lined up outside
- 133 snaps lined up in the slot
So Pickens clearly doesn't know, or doesn't care to be bothered by facts, that St. Brown is more than just a slot receiver. He also sneakily lamented his own situation in Pittsburgh, hinting that St. Brown's situation elevates him while his own stifles him. This is also a receiver with zero touchdowns this season, who may have been force-fed targets late in a one-sided Week 6 win to keep him from being a distraction again.
As partially shown by John Maakaron of SI.com, Lions fans have rallied around St. Brown in the wake of Pickens' flimsy, ridiculous and lame attempt at criticism. But the "Sun God" can still add the underachieving Steelers' receiver to his you-know-what list.