ALLEN PARK — Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are synonymous with what it means to be ultra-competitive athletes.
In that context, it’s not surprising Detroit Lions wide receivers coach and assistant head coach Scottie Montgomery views Amon-Ra St. Brown in the same light. Since entering the league in 2021, the former USC standout continue perform among the league’s best at his position.
Since entering the NFL, St. Brown has caught no fewer than 90 passes in a season. Over the past two years, he’s recorded at least 106 receptions and 10 touchdowns, making him worthy of the praise from his position coach.
“I know he has a pedigree, first of all, you know, he’s — his pedigree is pretty special. The second part of it is it’s just something in certain people that want to compete at the highest level. Like, when you think of the Kobes, Jordans, these guys that are just relentless in the mindset of not only going and working on their skill, but the mental part of the game. (St. Brown) has it all. Where is his weakness? You know, it’s a very, very hard deal to find any weakness in him because he tries to find his weakness. He’s constantly working on it, and he’s turned those weaknesses into his strengths.
“So has he taken another level? Yes. He is a guy that is still ascending in his career. A lot of times, guys get there and they plateau. But I think his biggest fear is plateauing. And a lot of people want to get to a level and play to a certain level for a long time. That’s not his goal. His goal is to continue to get better every single year like some of the greats that we’ve seen do, and I think he’ll continue to do that. Special person, special player. Don’t think I’ve been around a more prepared player walking into a game than him.”
Regardless of the sport, players are sometimes referred to as the Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant of their field, a comparison reserved for the elite of the elite.
When asked to elaborate, Montgomery pointed to a trait he believes connects St. Brown to both.
“I never compare my guys across sports,” Montgomery said. “But when I talk about mentality from what I know from afar — I don’t know those two guys, but when I look at them, I’ve grown up idolizing both of those guys 100%. But every time I get a deep dive on a documentary or I get to see them from afar and I’m watching them in practice, practice settings, or leading their teammates with the iron fist, sometimes pulling along, sometimes — this mentality is a rare mentality, especially today.
“He’s a throwback player playing in today’s society, and he is doing an exceptional job at it.”
Hard to argue with that.
Following St. Brown’s performance in Detroit’s 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns, he became the first player since Hall of Famer Randy Moss in 2007 to post at least 25 receptions, 300 yards, and six touchdowns through the first four games of a season.
Against Cleveland, St. Brown caught seven passes for 70 yards and two scores, pushing his totals to 27 receptions for 307 yards and a league-high six touchdowns — already half of his career-high 12 from last year.
At his current pace, ESPN projects him to finish with 115 catches, 1,305 yards, and 26 touchdowns, which would break Moss’ single-season record of 23 in 2007.
Montgomery said a big part of St. Brown’s hot start is the work he’s put in since last season, particularly refining his ability to play outside and beat top corners with his route running.
“This offseason in training camp, his detail route running on the outside, being able to separate on the outside, not being the slot guy, but actually being able to go out there against number one corners and play at the level that he was playing at, separate individual cuts, all of those things. I don’t know if, you know, he’s gotten so much better at it or just he’s got more time to work on different things,” Montgomery said.
“But at the top of his routes right now, he’s as clean as any guy out there right now — the top of his routes. And that’s really usually the difference between inside guys and outside guys. They’re more fine in the space, you know, but these guys on the outside, they have the ability to point, gather, turn, get out of the break and stop on a dime, but he showed he has the ability to do that.”