‘This Dude is a Monster for Real’: Four Stories That Explain Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
DETROIT — When Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell announced his 2024 team captains, he gave each player a chance to address the team. It was a moment of pride, leadership, and reflection for the players who had earned the honor. Campbell listed the names: linebacker Alex Anzalone, special teams ace Jalen Reeves-Maybin, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, quarterback Jared Goff, offensive tackle Penei Sewell, and finally, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
When it was St. Brown’s turn to speak, the 2021 fourth-round pick who has risen to become one of the NFL’s elite receivers shared a simple but powerful goal for the season: “Whatever happens is gonna happen throughout the year, but I want to be the hardest practicing team, the best practicing team in the league,” St. Brown told his teammates. “Because at the end of the day, if you practice hard, the games are gonna take care of itself.”
St. Brown’s journey from a mid-round draft pick to one of the league’s most productive wideouts is nothing short of remarkable. Over the past four years, his stats speak for themselves: third in receptions (391), seventh in receiving yards (4,408), ninth in receiving touchdowns (30), and among the leaders in receptions per game (6.41). But it’s his relentless work ethic and intensity that have made him a cornerstone of the Lions’ resurgence.
His daily routine is the stuff of legend: catching 202 passes from the Jugs machine, completing 200 sit-ups, and juggling a tennis ball 500 times off a wall to sharpen his hand-eye coordination. It’s no wonder quarterback Jared Goff compared St. Brown’s focus to that of three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald, Goff’s former teammate with the Los Angeles Rams. “When he steps on that grass, he’s not messing around,” Goff said. “There’s no funny business. We’re out there to work.”
1. A Star in the Making
St. Brown’s competitive fire was evident long before he reached the NFL. At the 2014 Sound Mind Sound Body football camp in Detroit, an eighth-grade St. Brown traveled from California to compete against nearly 1,000 athletes. His skills were so advanced that organizers moved him up to the high school group, where he held his own against older players, including current Lions teammate Donovan Peoples-Jones.
During one drill, St. Brown’s intensity boiled over. After a chippy exchange with a 10th grader, he declared, “Boy, I will f—ing break you.” His longtime trainer, Jeff Johnson, recalled the moment vividly: “That was like, ‘Woah, this dude is a monster for real.’”
2. A Gesture That Touched a City
Last winter, 83-year-old Larry Benjamin, a lifelong Lions fan battling COPD, made a unique request: he wanted his hair dyed Honolulu blue to match St. Brown’s playoff look. After Benjamin’s son shared a photo on social media, St. Brown FaceTimed the family and sent an autographed jersey with the message, “KEEP BEING A BEAST.”
Benjamin passed away in March, but the gesture left a lasting impact on his family. “What it did, really, for the whole family was it made a sad situation a little glimmer of light,” said his daughter-in-law, Debra Benjamin.
3. From Draft Day Doubts to Franchise Cornerstone
St. Brown’s draft day in 2021 was bittersweet. Selected 112th overall by the Lions, he initially wasn’t thrilled about joining a team coming off a 5-11 season. “If there’s one team I don’t want to go to, that’s the Lions,” he admitted to his brother, Equanimeous.
Fast forward three years, and St. Brown has become a key figure in Detroit’s turnaround. The Lions have gone from 3-13-1 in 2021 to 12-5 last season, reaching the NFC title game for the first time since 1991. In 2024, St. Brown signed a four-year, $120 million extension, cementing his place as a franchise cornerstone.
4. A Fighter’s Spirit
St. Brown’s competitive edge extends to the practice field. During his rookie training camp, he got into a fight with cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu during a special teams drill. “It was definitely punches thrown,” Melifonwu said. “But we both had our helmets on, so nothing really happened for real.”
Three years later, St. Brown found himself in another scuffle during a joint practice with the New York Giants. “That’s just the way I am,” St. Brown said. “I’m a competitor at the end of the day, and I’m going to compete.”
Whether it’s his relentless work ethic, his fiery competitiveness, or his connection with fans, Amon-Ra St. Brown has become the heart and soul of the Detroit Lions. As the team continues its quest for a Super Bowl, one thing is clear: where St. Brown leads, the Lions will follow.
Originally Written by: Eric Woodyard
