Overview
Position: Wide receiver
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 214 pounds
School: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.48 seconds
Bench press: 20 reps (tied for fourth among wide receivers)
Equanimeous St. Brown 2018 NFL Draft Profile
The Power Five scholarship offers were numerous for Equanimeous St. Brown coming out of high school. He received 25 in total, not too much of a surprise for a consensus top 20 wide receiver prospect. The Anaheim, CA native eventually gave his pledge to Notre Dame and was one of the final commits in Brian Kelly‘s 2015 recruiting class.
St. Brown didn’t see much action as a true freshman, appearing in just seven games and registering one catch for eight yards all year. But he made an impact on special teams, blocking a punt that was eventually returned for a touchdown in the Irish’s 41-31 win over archrival USC on October 17th. A shoulder injury sustained in practice cut short his first season in South Bend as he missed the team’s final four games.
It was the following season which saw St. Brown begin to figure more prominently into the offense. He became DeShone Kizer‘s favorite target, leading the team with 58 catches, 961 yards, and nine touchdowns. It included becoming the first Notre Dame receiver in seven years to have two touchdown catches of 65+ yards in a single game when he accomplished the feat in a win against Syracuse.
One year later, St. Brown’s production dropped if anything due to the Irish becoming more of a run-first team with dual-threat quarterback Brandon Wimbush. That’s evident in the fact they finished seventh nationally in rushing yards a year after ranking 80th. St. Brown managed just 515 receiving yards and four touchdown grabs as a result. But that didn’t prevent him from foregoing his senior season and declaring for the draft.
Strengths
- long-armed target with above average catch radius;
- can make plays down the sidelines and on underneath routes;
- gets good separation at the top of his route on comebacks;
- plucks the ball out of the air with confident hands;
- experience in the slot combined with size could give him an edge against smaller nickel corners;
- doesn’t drop very many balls thrown his way;
- carries his pads well with solid playing speed;
- kicks it into an extra gear when he has the ball in space downfield.
Weaknesses
- has a thin, lanky frame particularly below the hips;
- not the most relentless competitor on an every-down basis;
- route-running lacks ideal sharpness;
- struggles to come up with the ball in contested catch situations;
- ordinary reactiveness with respect to bringing in over and underthrown balls;
- doesn’t play as strong as his traits indicate he’s capable of;
- willing blocker but unable to consistently adjust on the move.
NFL Comparison: Devin Funchess
Teams With Need at Position: Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins
Projection: Third round
Bottom Line
St. Brown boasts some unique athletic bloodlines in his family. His father John was a world-renowned bodybuilder and a two-time Mr. Universe winner. He demonstrated quite a bit of raw strength himself at the Combine when he put up 20 bench press reps, a total bested by only three other wide receiver prospects this year. But he hasn’t translated that strength to the field on a consistent basis, particularly with respect to gaining separation from press coverage. The physical traits are there, though. Scouts can’t help but take notice regarding his combination of size, length, and quickness in space. If he can refine the elements of his game that need work, he has all the makings of a player who can eventually capture starter level reps at the next level.
