Equanimeous St. Brown is a high upside player, with consistent QB play he could be a later round gem

Equanimeous St. Brown, WR
School: Notre Dame | Conference: Independents
College Experience: Junior | Age: 21
Height / Weight: 6-5 / 203 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 5th Round
NFL Comparison: Jake Kumerow

College Statistics

Player Overview

Equanimeous St. Brown and his brothers may be starting a football pedigree. Their father John Brown is a former Mr. Universe and Mr. World competitor and got his sons into sports at an early age. Mr. Brown considered the mundane nature of his name and decided to give his son’s the most extraordinary names one might think of (Equanimeous, Osiris, Amon-Ra and even more extravagance is held in their middle names) and even added the “St.” to their last name citing he didn’t think just “Brown” looked good on the back of a jersey. With Osiris St. Brown set to play at Stanford and Amon-Ra committing to USC just last month Equanimeous will be the first brother to make the NFL leap. He first got on my radar last year early on in the college season when I caught glimpses of the production he was putting up. At one point he was leading the NCAA in receiving yards about midway through the season and was around 3rd or 4th in the country in touchdowns. There is little doubt why Equanimeous had a great season last year and a lackluster season this year: QB play - or lack thereof. I included a cut up from a 2016 game for comparison below.

I almost feel bad for St. Brown making the decision to come out on a down year in his production but he made the right move because the QB play at Notre Dame isn’t going to get much better next year. St. Brown has an imposing frame. He lined up all over the field at Notre Dame (X, Z, Slot from what I saw) and is a threat either of those starting points. He moved fluidly and has long strides and decent speed. He still is very much an unrefined player in my view. St. Brown inconsistently uses his body to create separation, uses his body to secure catches and waits for the ball to come to him rather than attacking it at its high point. Regardless his potential as a possession receiver who can move around the field shows up on tape and I think he is particularly effective at working underneath and busting zones on intermediate routes. Teams looking for a receiver who can work all over the field and that has great physical skills could be getting a value in this kid if he’s developed.

Strengths

• Good size and speed from the position. Not particularly quick but long lanky strides gets him covering a lot of ground.
• Uses frame and long arms to create separation and reach over defenders to make catches. Catch radius is impressive.
• Tracks the ball well in the air and is able to make adjustments on the fly.
• Understands the nuance and effectiveness of selling routes. Won several matchups taking advantage of overconfident DBs who bit.

Weaknesses

• Wouldn’t quite describe his as a natural pass catcher - yet. Relies too much on his core to help him haul in catches.
• Would like him to be more aggressive on contested 50/50 plays. With a frame like that he should be more physical and really go up and get it. Instead, he plays a bit passive.
• Not very effective as a run blocker.
• Is athleticism a question? Way too inconsistent for me to make a definitive statement but I didn’t see what I expected which was better ability to box out, out jump, and better body control.

Let’s see his work:

More Equanimeous St. Brown videos

How He Would Fit On The Redskins

St. Brown is another ‘traits’ guy right now in my opinion but the potential is certainly evident. It’s a shame that he had such poor QB play this year which makes his evaluation challenging when comparing to his production last year. I certainly think his growth was stunted so to speak because of the QB factor and I would really like to see how he does with professional who can place the ball well. On the other side of the coin, he has a lot to work on as well. I think he is just learning how to use his physical skills strategically and hopefully, the coaching staff can help him put things together. I wouldn't mind if he gained some strength/weight and played more physically. He’s going to need to stick around in the NFL. He’s especially going to need it as I think special teams is going to be one of his first stops.

I’m going to take the controversial position and say that Terrell Pryor won’t be coming back next season. The Redskins could use another red zone threat for Alex Smith these next few years. St. Brown is an obvious situational player there but I think he offers more value/upside with his experience working out of the slot as well. I gave a bigger pass to the Redskins receiving corps than most would/did last season because I thought their troubles were rooted in QB trust, familiarity, and a new offense. I think the unit that is on the roster now will bounce back in a big way. If the coaching staff thinks the same way adding a developmental piece like St. Brown who could play a specific role early may be all they are looking for.