Philadelphia Eagles: Amon-Ra St. Brown would look great in (midnight) green

Some names are just destined to be butchered by Philadelphia Eagles fans.

In the lead up to the 2020 NFL Draft, a draft that feels like it happened 20 years ago, Howie Roseman detailed a desire to build a young offensive core around Philadelphia Eagles franchise quarterback Carson Wentz.

Fast forward a year and a half into the future, and in a roundabout way, mission semi accomplished.

Sure there have been some head-scratching additions – like drafting JJ Arcega-Whiteside over D.K. Metcalf or Jalen Hurts in the second round – but it’s Week 10 of the 2020 NFL season, and the Eagles have a number one running back, a number one wide receiver, and a number one tight end on rookie contract through at least the 2021 season.

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Factor in promising young players like Jalen Reagor, John Hightower, Boston Scott, Nate Herbig, Jordan Mailata, and Jeff Driscoll, and the Eagles are in a much better position both now and moving forward than when Roseman re-took over the team in 2016.

But then again, the team is obviously not perfect, as their 3-5-1 record would suggest.

With holes of varying size at cornerback, running back, and mike/will/sam linebacker, the Eagles’ scouting staff can’t afford to take the rest of a year off to rest on their laurels, even in this bizarre 2021 season. And if there’s one position, in particular, they should keep a keen eye on; it’s slot wide receiver.

As we’ve pointed out here on Section 215 a few times before, the Eagles really haven’t gotten the sort of production many had hoped Greg Ward would generate in his second professional season. Despite being the team’s unquestioned starter going into camp, with nary a challenger even placed in his path, Ward has hauled in 32 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns through the first eight weeks of the season.  While those marks rank first, second, and second on the team, respectively, Ward’s role can best be described as a safety blanket on underneath routes as opposed to a dynamic playmaker opposing teams need to scheme for.

Do the Eagles explicitly need a guy like that in their starting lineup? Not necessarily, but to paraphrase one of the great actors of his generation, ‘it’d be a whole lot cooler if they did’.

Did you read that in Matthew McConaughey’s voice? Yeah, me too.

So, assuming the Eagles once again have a pick in the early 20s for the third straight year, is there any player potentially on the board who fits that bill? Yup, and he has a name I would love to hear Philly fans butcher for years to come: Amon-Ra St. Brown.

The younger brother of current Green Bay Packers receiver Equanimeous (Tristan Imhotep J.) St. Brown, Amon-Ra burst into the national conversation as a freshman, hauling in passes (60 receptions for750 yards and three touchdowns) from USC-turned-Georgia quarterback JT Daniels. From there, St. Brown stepped things up a notch in 2019 as the unabashed favorite target of freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis, catching 77 balls for 1,042 yards and six touchdowns.

Deployed largely out of the slot, St. Brown is about as polished a 21-year-old receiver as you’ll find across the country, with great hands, smooth hips, and great route running abilities. His body control is top-notch and whether tasked with tracking a deep ball down the middle of the field, catching a quick bubble screen versus off coverage, or even running cross formation on a jet sweep, St. Brown seemingly always finds himself in the right position to make a play.

But the middle St. Brown brother isn’t just a one-trick, slot only player. No, in the Trojans’ 34-30 win over Nick Foles’ alma mater, the Anaheim Hills native’s best catch came lined up on the outside, where he hauled in an absolute beauty in double coverage midway through the third quarter.

If you need a 6-foot-1 version of Steve Smith or the second coming of Hines Ward, Amon-Ra St. Brown looks like he can be all that and more for a very long time for the low, low price of a mid-to-late first round pick.

Like Reagor and even Travis Fulgham, St. Brown is a veritable chess piece who could be moved all over the Eagles’ offense, with the size to play on the outside and the ability to make interior defenders look silly in both man and zone coverage. Pair the three together, and suddenly, the Eagles’ offense could have a legitimate air of creativity the likes of which this part of New Philadelphia hasn’t seen since Frank Reich roamed the sidelines alongside John DeFilippo in 2017.

Creativity? On the offensive side of the ball? Imagine that.

Look, I get it if you’re still shellshocked over the prospects of drafting another wide USC wide receiver in the first round. Marqise Lee hasn’t really panned out and need I say more than Nelson Agholor. But then again, Robert Woods just earned another contract extension with the Los Angeles Rams, and JuJu Smith-Schuster will likely follow suit upon season’s end.

Assuming Jalen Reagor doesn’t find new life as a slot receiver once Alshon Jeffery returns to the field – whenever that may be – the Philadelphia Eagles will all but surely be in the market for another versatile, dynamic offensive option to further fortify their passing offense for the foreseeable future. While the team could target the position in free agency I guess, it’s hard to imagine the team investing in a quality slot receiver like JuJu Smith-Schuster when they’re already $64 million over the cap. Outside of maybe diminutive Purdue playmaker Rondale Moore, there isn’t a more exciting interior receiver in the 2021 NFL Draft than Amon-Ra St. Brown. No knock on Greg Ward, but he just looks alright, alright, alright next to ‘Almond-Ray Street Brown’.