WR, USC
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 197 lbs
Class: Junior
St. Brown was a highly touted receiver prospect and a five-star recruit back in 2018. He was the No. 2 ranked wide receiver in that class and received offers from the likes of Alabama and Notre Dame, the latter being where his brother Equanimeous played from 2015-17. He eventually committed to USC, where he was a three-year starter.
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Strengths
St. Brown’s biggest strength is his ability as a route runner. He was tasked with running a pretty diverse route tree at USC and executed it well. His change of direction ability is excellent and he has the fluid hips you want in a receiver prospect. He is quick out of his breaks and is adept at creating separation through technique. St. Brown is capable of manipulating defensive backs with his route savvy and should fit right into an NFL offense. His experience of playing out wide and in the slot will also help.
Another of his big strengths is his hands and general reliability. St. Brown has soft hands and drops were a rarity on tape. He logged just 13 on 191 career catchable passes. He is comfortable making catches outside his frame and does a nice job of hanging on through contact. St. Brown is competitive at the catch point too. Whilst contested catch situations aren’t his speciality, he more than held his own, winning 57.1 per cent of such situations in 2020. Overall his ball skills are excellent and he does a nice job of tracking downfield.
An underrated part of St. Brown’s game is his ability after the catch. He isn’t your typical YAC receiver and doesn’t have elite speed, but he is capable of creating in the open field. He has some shiftiness to his game and logged an impressive 29 forced missed tackles on his 178 career receptions. St. Brown plays with real physicality as a ball carrier and won’t shy away from contact with defenders. This should stand him in good stead at the NFL level.
Weaknesses
The biggest concern with St. Brown will be his lack of speed. He is a decent athlete, but he doesn’t have the top end speed to win consistently in the NFL. His stellar route running allows him to get by, but he could struggle when faced with NFL-level defensive backs on a weekly basis. There will be concerns in particular about how St. Brown will fare when faced with talented man-cover corners. He won’t offer much of a deep threat either, and is likely more of an underneath weapon in the NFL.
At 5’11” and 197 lbs, St. Brown isn’t small for an NFL receiver, but he struggled noticeably when faced with more physical corners in press coverage. This wasn’t a common occurrence in college, but could be an issue in a much more press-heavy NFL. St. Brown switched to the boundary in 2020 after playing primarily as a slot receiver for most of his USC career. He didn’t look nearly as impressive there and may have to move back inside at the next level.
Bottom Line
St. Brown is a solid, if unspectacular wide receiver prospect. His route running and reliable hands are major plus points and he should be able to carve out a decent career at the next level. His lack of dynamic speed and separation ability are a concern though, and could limit his appeal. Whilst he might not be the most exciting prospect, he should be a complementary offensive weapon in the NFL.
Big Board Rank: #98
Positional Rank: #16
