On Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, 49ers’ Fred Warner speaks out
The San Francisco 49ers players are certainly accustomed to hearing positive things about themselves from outside their organization, having attended four of the previous five NFC championship games. The Detroit Lions players will get a shot at such recognition this week.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, the wideout for the Lions, is deserving of praise more than any other player. On January 24, 49ers linebacker Fred Warner gave him a lot of compliments.
Warner told reporters, “I adore the way he plays the game,” via The 33rd Team X.
account. “He feels that he is being left behind.” He took it personally, and I believe he was picked in the fifth round, or maybe the fourth. At a very young age in his career, he has been able to propel himself into this league’s elite receiver play.
“He follows the proper procedures. It’s evident that he practices and plays with intensity. carries out tasks correctly. We will undoubtedly need to take him into consideration when we face them.
During the 2023 regular season, St. Brown recorded career highs of 119 receptions, 1,515 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns. He was named first-team All-Pro for the first time with those stats.St. Brown has also recorded 15 catches for 187 yards with a touchdown in two postseason games.
Warner also explained to reporters on January 24 that he has a previously relationship, of sorts, with St. Brown.
Warner played at a football camp in Southern California during high school with St. Brown’s older brother, Equanimeous. The linebacker said that at the time, Amon-Ra was a “fiery, little cat who was very talented.”
St. Brown posted 2,270 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in three college seasons at USC. But that didn’t get him picked on either of the first two days of the 2021 NFL draft.
The Lions selected St. Brown at No. 112 overall in the fourth round.
But the chip St. Brown has on his shoulder because of his draft position has helped propel him to become one of the best receivers in the NFL.
He had 90 catches for 912 yards as a rookie in 2021. Since then, St. Brown has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard, 100-catch campaigns.
St. Brown had an incredible 2023 season, but he still might not be getting enough credit for his talent and production.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff had a funny interaction about that with a reporter on January 24. To setup a question, a member of the media said to Goff that the Lions good players don’t have the superstar status that the 49ers players do.
Goff interrupted to say, “St. Brown was first-team All-Pro. Just saying.”
Goff was making the reporter’s point — the Lions do not yet have the respect from NFL fans that they deserve.
St. Brown is a perfect example of that. Although he made first-team All-Pro, he didn’t make the Pro Bowl after the first vote. That’s not considered as prestigious an honor, so it’s rare for players to be named All-Pro but not make the Pro Bowl.
The NFL did name St. Brown to the Pro Bowl roster but as an injury replacement. Four Lions players, including Goff, made the Pro Bowl, but three of them were to replace other players because of injury.
Meanwhile, six 49ers players made the Pro Bowl.
