2021 NFL Draft: Do not sleep on USC WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

The 2021 NFL Draft class is loaded with wide receiver talent, but do not forget about this USC Trojan.

With guys like Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith and Rashod Bateman leading the way, it is easy to forget about the depth of the wide receivers in the 2021 NFL Draft class. This group of wide receivers is absolutely loaded with impact talent at the top of the class, but there is also a ton of depth at the position for the later rounds.

One of my favorite likely Day 2 wide receivers is Amon-Ra St. Brown out of USC. In a normal class, St. Brown would likely be an obvious first-round selection, but is unlikely to go that early due to the extreme depth at the position in the 2021 NFL Draft class. Even with that being said, St. Brown deserves a ton of attention and should be considered a potential massive steal in the Day 2 range.

St. Brown primarily plays slot receiver at USC and he has the necessary skill-set needed to dominate at the position at the next level. He is extremely quick in and out of his routes, accelerates up to speed quickly, shows soft hands and creates well after the catch. St. Brown wins against man coverage often and has the on-field awareness to sit down and find the soft spaces in zone coverage.

More than a slot weapon

He is without a doubt a strong weapon in the middle of the field who can feast out of the slot in the short passing game. That being said, there is much more to St. Brown’s game than that. He is listed at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, and has the athleticism needed to play above the rim. St. Brown is also a fast and explosive receiver who can shake defenders loose and make plays as a deep passing weapon.

While he is probably best suited as a slot receiver, St. Brown has the size, speed and athleticism to compete on the outside as well. He is a versatile offensive weapon who can impact the game in a variety of ways.

Wide receiver-needy teams in the 2021 NFL Draft will have the benefit of deciding where they want to snag their next impact pass-catcher. These teams could certainly take someone like Chase, Waddle or Bateman in the first round, but waiting a bit and targeting St. Brown with their second-round pick may be a better use of resources. This wide receiver class is absolutely loaded with talent and St. Brown is undoubtedly one of the guys worth getting excited about.