It’s a good thing Amon-Ra St. Brown didn’t get his way in the 2021 NFL Draft. Otherwise, the Lions’ standout receiver would never have ended up in Detroit.
During a recent interview, St. Brown confessed that the Lions were the only team he didn’t want to play for in the NFL Draft. At the time, St. Brown hoped the Packers would choose him so he could play with his brother, Equanimeous St. Brown. However, if Green Bay was unwilling to take him, his next option was ANYONE except the Lions.
After the first two days of the selection, St. Brown had yet to be selected, which he confessed was frustrating.
“When it got to Day 3, I was already mad,” St. Brown told ESPN’s Eric Woodyard. “I even told my brother [Equanimeous], ‘If there’s one team I don’t want to see, it’s the Lions. Just please, I do not want to go to the Lions. [My brother] was playing for the Packers at the time, and I said, ‘I want to play with him.'”
The Packers made three picks before St. Brown went off the board at 112, including receiver Amari Rodgers at 85th overall. After Green Bay passed on him, St. Brown was picked 27 spots later by the team he didn’t want to play for.
Sure enough, I check my phone, and it says 3-1-3, Detroit,” St. Brown explained. “I am like, ‘No way.’ I was thrilled and depressed at the same moment since I did not want to come here.”
Fortunately for St. Brown, things have turned out for the better. The two-time Pro Bowler has been an important part of Detroit’s offense for the past three seasons, and the Lions showed their appreciation last week by signing him to a four-year, $120 million agreement. Although St. Brown did not intend to end up in Detroit, he is pleased with how things turned out.
“Looking back on it, it’s [for] the best,” St. Brown said of landing in Detroit. “I don’t think there’s another team where I could have done what I’ve done here with the people that are around me: The coaches, my teammates, the fans, the city. Just the whole story of how everything has been going so far, I would pay for this if I could, to have this whole thing happen again, because it’s a perfect story.”
At this point, St. Brown’s great story could only get better if the Lions win the Super Bowl with him. They were one step away from making the big game last year, and with a powerhouse roster in 2024, they’ll be one of the NFC’s top contenders this year.
