Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown still keeps notebook of 16 WRs drafted before him: 'It's something I'll never forget'

During an episode of last preseason's Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Detroit Lions, Amon-Ra St. Brown listed the 16 wide receivers taken before him in the 2021 NFL Draft from memory.

Despite going on to exceed a 90-catch rookie season by collecting 106 receptions for 1,161 yards and six touchdowns to make his first Pro Bowl, St. Brown still refuses to let go of those names.

"I actually still think about it," the wideout admitted on Monday's NFL Total Access with Mike Yam. "I actually have my goals written down in my notebook. What I want to achieve every year. So, what I want to achieve this year going into the season, my personal goals, and then right below that I have the 16 receivers written down, where they went to college right below that. And so, I read that whole list three times before I go to practice every day. It's something I'll never forget. Something I make sure I'm always reminded of."

That list includes fellow stars like Ja’Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle, but it also has players that have already left their original teams, such as Elijah Moore and Amari Rodgers.

Most worth noting, though, is St. Brown has more receptions than all of them. His 196 receptions tie him with Justin Jefferson and Michael Thomas for the most in NFL history through a player's first two seasons.

He's confident a pair of offensive rookies in this year's draft can come in and similarly contribute for an ascending Lions team, and he attributed some of that optimism in tongue-and-cheek manor to himself being a gem of a selection.

"I think (general manager) Brad (Holmes) and the guys here in Detroit did a great job of drafting," St. Brown said. "Obviously, they drafted me, found me in the fourth round, so they know how to find talent.