Amon-Ra St. Brown needed a few weeks to really find his feet in the NFL and get his chances. But the 22-year-old German grabbed opportunities with both hands and is a big promise for the future after his rookie season for the Detroit Lions.

Munich/Detroit – Amon-Ra St. Brown is an elephant. Because the 22-year-old does not forget.

On the contrary: Where others block out certain things in order not to be distracted and to be able to deliver, the German wide receiver calls up everything that could drive him. Be it ever so long ago.

16 names, for example.

Because they symbolise his ambition and drive to show the doubters, coaches and managers of other teams in the league that it was a mistake to select 16 receivers ahead of him in the 2021 draft.

Amon-Ra St. Brown: “Will never forget the 16 receivers “

“I’ll never forget those 16 receivers in front of me,” he said, even though that was almost a year ago. That’s always his motivation when he’s in danger of sitting back, St. Brown said.

Ja’Marr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals), Jaylen Waddle (Miami Dolphins) and Devonta Smith (Philadelphia Eagles) were the first three receivers drafted last year.

They have better numbers on paper (some significantly) after the regular season, but they were also starters the entire season. St. Brown only struggled into that role, didn’t really turn it up until the Lions’ bye week after Week 9.

And that was with a team that was in the midst of transition, finding its feet and thus in a difficult situation, only winning its first game on Matchday 13. Chase and Smith reached the playoffs with their teams, Waddle just missed them with the Dolphins.

In fact, other teams may be upset that they didn’t take St. Brown when he fell all the way to the fourth round. Before the draft, he was always considered an insider’s tip, even before the start of training camp he was traded as a so-called “rookie sleeper” – and then actually took off like a textbook.

Bearish second half of the season

27 passes caught for 250 yards up to and including Week 8, a whopping 90 passes for 912 yards and five touchdowns (plus a rushing touchdown) at the end of a wild rookie season.

Plus, an NFL rookie record after catching at least eight balls in the last six straight games. He was also the Rookie of the Month for December. There’s no question St. Brown has made a name for himself in his first season. There’s also no question he can play a pivotal role in the 2022 turnaround.

“This kid is better than gold,” said head coach Dan Campbell. “When you’re an athlete like him, explosive but also tough and gritty – guys like that are hard to find.”

He stressed that a development like St Brown’s is not something to be taken for granted. “For these guys to be able to take their confidence and skills to a certain level to be very competitive at the end of their first year doesn’t always happen.” For that to happen, the impressive performances happened more and more as the season progressed. “The consistency is there, that’s for sure,” Campbell praised.

As it is with rookies, a little luck in the form of injuries to competitors is also part of it. And then there’s the ability to be there on the dot and take advantage of opportunities that you probably wouldn’t have gotten with the frequency you did as a fourth-round pick during a normal course of the season.

Or as St. Brown himself puts it, “When chances meet hard work.”

For St. Brown, it was the right mix. He ended up becoming quarterback Jared Goff’s favorite target. “Watching him grow into that role was so cool,” Goff said. “Sometimes that happens, and it happens later in the season. That’s the way it is in this league, and he got those opportunities and clearly made the most of them. He’s a special player, a special guy.”

One with plenty of confidence. “I know I can be really good,” St. Brown said, “But there’s so many things that go into football. There’s always injuries, you never know what can happen. “

Simple’s Secret Recipe

His secret recipe? “I just play and do whatever I can do. You can only control what you can control. I work in the offseason and make sure I’m ready for this team, do my best and be as consistent as I can. “

And as focused as possible. When he caught the ball in Week 18 against the Green Bay Packers that gave him the rookie yards record in Detroit Lions history as the season’s cherry on top, he quickly moved the ball to safety.

Of course, he knew exactly how many more yards he needed to break Roy Williams’ record (817). A milestone in his young career, and a promise and drive for the Lions’ future – and his own, of course.

“It’s something I’ll never forget,” St Brown said. No one doubts that after this season.