2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Equanimeous St. Brown

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Equanimeous St. Brown, 6-5/214 Wide Receiver Notre Dame

Equanimeous St. Brown Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Route-running

Mismatch size

Excellent height

Enough speed to generate separation

Dangerous yards-after-the-catch skills

Tough to tackle

Play-maker

Dynamic red-zone weapon

Back-shoulder skills

Length

Large catch radius

Body control

Sideline weapon

Boxes out defensive backs

High points the football

Leaping ability

Weaknesses:

Could stand to be more physical

Inconsistent hands

Quicker than fast

Can get into funks

Needs to get over the 2017 season

Summary: Every year sees players who ineligible to declare for the draft after their sophomore year, which ends up hurting them. If Equanimeous St. Brown could have entered the 2017 NFL Draft, he would have had a shot at being a first-round pick. He had a solid 2016 season of 58 receptions for 961 yards with nine touchdowns while also dealing with the inconsistent play of DeShone Kizer. If St. Brown had been eligible for last year’s draft, I think he would have been the fourth receiver off the board and gone ahead of Zay Jones, who was the first receiver selected in Round 2. St. Brown could easily have been a first-rounder a year ago.

Even though Kizer was inconsistent in 2016, he was a massive upgrade over what St. Brown had to work with in 2017. Brandon Wimbush was awful and one of the worst quarterbacks in college football. Wimbush was worse at passing the ball than some of the pitiful quarterbacks who have spoiled talented teams at LSU and Florida over the past few years. Over the 2017 season, Wimbush completed only 49.5 percent of his passes for 1,870 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. Notre Dame was completely dependent on its rushing offense, barely throwing the ball because of Wimbush’s limitations. In fact, the Fighting Irish only had one game all season where they attemptes more than 30 passes.

As one can expect, St. Brown’s production and opportunities fell off dramatically year over year. He also saw a lot of double coverage and was never able to get into any kind of playing rhythm. As a result, he dropped some passes even though his hands were not a problem during the 2016 season. St. Brown totaled only 33 receptions for 515 yards and four touchdowns in 2017. With Wimbush likely to be the starter in 2018, it didn’t make sense for St. Brown to go back to Notre Dame. After declaring for the 2018 NFL Draft, the big wide receiver was impressive at the NFL Scouting Combine, including a 4.48-second time in the 40-yard dash.



Perhaps St. Brown’s best trait entering the NFL is his route-running. For a big receiver, he is smooth in and out of breaks with quickness to get open. Having route-running to go with his size and quickness makes St. Brown a very difficult coverage assignment.

St. Brown has big size with length and strength. With his skill set, he is a dangerous run-after-the-catch receiver. That makes him really tough to cover and also difficult to tackle. St. Brown can run through tacklers with his power and has the quickness to bolt downfield in a hurry. With his height and frame, St. Brown is very dangerous to wall off defenders to make back-shoulder or fade receptions in the end zone. He also uses that size to shield defenders from the ball on routes in the middle of the field, so he could be a valuable target on third downs to help move the chains.

On top of having great size, St. Brown is a quick receiver. Most big wideouts don’t run as well as he does. St. Brown is not a true burner, but he can challenge a defense vertically.

For the NFL, St. Brown could fit well as a X – split end – receiver who works on the outside and challenges teams along the sideline. He also has the size to be a Z – flanker – receiver and do the dirty work on underneath routes. If St. Brown lands with a team that has a good quarterback and passing offense, he has the potential to be a difference-maker. St. Brown looks like a second- or third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, but I think he could be one of the steals of Day 2.





Player Comparison: Vincent Jackson. St. Brown is a thinner version of Jackson. However after some time in a pro strength and conditioning program, St. Brown could end up being similar size to Jackson (6-5, 230), who is only 15 pounds away. St. Brown’s combination of size, quickness, and route-running present a lot of mismatch problems just like Jackson did during his prime years in San Diego. Jackson was a second-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, and St. Brown could go on Day 2 this year.

NFL Matches: Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, Arizona, Green Bay, Dallas, Baltimore, Dallas, Carolina, New Orleans and Jacksonville

There are a lot of teams that could be in the market for a wide receiver upgrade in the 2018 NFL Draft. The Bears and 49ers both could consider more receiving talent. Chicago signed two receivers for Mitch Trubisky, but the team could use more talent. The Bears have shown interest in St. Brown, who would make sense for them. St. Brown would be a great fit for Kyle Shanahan’s offense across from Marquise Goodwin. With the 49ers, St. Brown could evolve into a No. 1 receiver, and he would be a great fit for San Francisco late in the second round or early in Round 3.

In the teens, there are a lot of potential landing spots for St. Brown. The Dolphins could consider bringing St. Brown to South Florida as they need to replace Jarvis Landry.

Green Bay could use more receiving talent after moving on from Jordy Nelson. St. Brown would be a nice fit in the Packers’ offense. He could become a potent receiver for the sunset seasons of Aaron Rodgers career. On Day 2, St. Brown would make a lot of sense for Green Bay.

The Cowboys cut Dez Bryant and could use more talent at receiver. St. Brown would be a nice fit for Dallas on Day 2 of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Arizona has to consider life after Larry Fitzgerald and could use more receiving talent around the future Hall of Famer. If the Cardinals land a quarterback in the first round, St. Brown could be a fit for them on Day 2.

The Ravens need more talent at receiver, and St. Brown could be a weapon across from Michael Crabtree.

Carolina could use a long-term No. 1 receiver after trading away Kelvin Benjamin. Cam Newton has worked well with big wideouts, and St. Brown would be an upgrade for the Panthers. Staying in the NFC South, the Saints could go with the best player available and give Drew Brees a twin tower of a receiver to go with Michael Thomas if St. Brown gets to their third-round pick. The Jaguars lost Allen Robinson in free agency, so they could consider St. Brown as a replacement.

2018 NFL Draft Scouting Reports - Choose Player 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Reports - Home Adonis Alexander, CB, Virginia Tech Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming Mark Andrews, TE, Oklahoma Dorance Armstrong, DE, Kansas Marcel Ateman, WR, Oklahoma State Anthony Averett, CB, Alabama Kalen Ballage, RB, Arizona State Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State Sam Beal, CB, Western Michigan Andrew Brown, DE, Virginia Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma Taven Bryan, DT, Florida Lorenzo Carter, LB, Georgia D.J. Chark, WR, LSU Geron Christian, OT, Louisville Bradley Chubb, DE, N.C. State Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia Simmie Cobbs, WR, Indiana Tyrell Crosby, OT, Oregon James Daniels, C, Iowa Sam Darnold, QB, USC Marcus Davenport, DE, UTSA Carlton Davis, CB, Auburn Duke Dawson, CB, Florida Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech Duke Ejiofor, DE, Wake Forest Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama Luke Falk, QB, Washington State Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama Mike Gesicki, TE, Penn State Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State Rasheem Green, DT, USC Derrius Guice, RB, LSU DaeSean Hamilton, WR, Penn State Da'Shawn Hand, DE, Alabama Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama Will Hernandez, G, UTEP Sam Hubbard, DE, Ohio State Mike Hughes, CB, Central Florida Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan Donte Jackson, CB, LSU Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa Derwin James, S, Florida State Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas Kerryon Johnson, RB, Auburn Ronald Jones, RB, USC Arden Key, DE, LSU Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M Micah Kiser, LB, Virginia Harold Landry, DE, Boston College Darius Leonard, LB, South Carolina State Iman Marshall, CB, USC Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma Tarvarus McFadden, CB, Florida State Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame Sony Michel, RB, Georgia Anthony Miller, WR, Memphis Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA D.J. Moore, WR, Maryland Nick Nelson, CB, Wisconsin Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame Isaiah Oliver, CB, Colorado Brian O'Neill, OT, Pittsburgh Da'Ron Payne, DT, Alabama Rashaad Penny, RB, San Diego State Harrison Phillips, DT, Stanford Billy Price, C, Ohio State Frank Ragnow, C, Arkansas Martinas Rankin, OT, Mississippi State Justin Reid, S, Stanford Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State Jaylen Samuels, RB, N.C. State Tim Settle, DT, Virginia Tech Braden Smith, G, Auburn Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU Chad Thomas, DE, Miami Trenton Thompson, DT, Georgia Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State Vita Vea, DT, Washington Akrum Wadley, RB, Iowa Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson Connor Williams, OT, Texas Isaiah Wynn, G, Georgia

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