Amon-Ra St. Brown makes interesting confession about being drafted by Lions

Oct 31, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) warms up before an NFL game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has made a long-term commitment to the Detroit Lions, but that is not something he ever would have expected when he was initially drafted by them.

St. Brown officially signed his 4-year contract extension on Thursday and did a bit of reflecting on what led to the moment. He admitted at one point that when he was drafted in 2021, Detroit was the one place he did not want to go. His opinion has obviously changed, as he questioned whether he would have been as successful had he landed elsewhere.

Reflecting on his draft experience, Amon-Ra St. Brown said Detroit was the one team he didn't want to draft him. Now, said it was the best thing that could have happened, not sure he would have excelled like this anywhere else. Said if he could do it again, he'd pay to come here.

— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) April 25, 2024

It is important to remember that when St. Brown was drafted, the Lions were coming off a 5-11 season and had long been one of the NFL’s least successful franchises. They had a new GM in Brad Holmes and a rookie head coach in Dan Campbell, neither of whom had experience in those roles. Detroit was not exactly an attractive destination at that point.

Things have changed in part because of St. Brown, who has blossomed into an All-Pro who racked up 1,515 receiving yards last year. It helps that his fall to the fourth round gave him plenty of motivational material for him to use.