Why Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown is so motivated by 2021 NFL Draft snub

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown doesn't hide he's still upset over the fact he fell to the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. 

"We set up a party in a restaurant on day two of the draft (rounds two and three), and when I saw I wasn’t going to be drafted, I thanked everyone for coming, but then got in my car to drive back to the Airbnb where I was staying with my two brothers," St. Brown recently told NBC Sports' Peter King. "I was super upset, crying. I didn’t want anyone to see me." 

St. Brown has made it known multiple times over the years he remembers the names and colleges linked with the 16 wide receivers drafted before he went to the Lions as a fourth-round choice in 2021. 

As noted by Bobby Kownack of the NFL's website, St. Brown's 196 career receptions are the most among all receivers from his draft class and have him tied with Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson and Michael Thomas of the New Orleans Saints for the most catches in league history through a player's first two seasons.

Despite his personal successes with Detroit, St. Brown still recalls how he put in work the night after he remained undrafted through the third round in 2021. 

"So I got on my Jugs machine, like 12:30 at night," St. Brown told King. "My brothers were with me. They fed the machine. Caught 202 balls. That’s always been my number, growing up. There was this other kid that we met that had really good hands. He said he catches 200 balls a day. So I gotta be better than him. I gotta catch 202. It’s just a little reminder." 

Such work ethic has paid off for both St. Brown and the Lions. According to ESPN stats, the 23-year-old earned his first Pro Bowl nod after he finished last regular season seventh in the NFL with 106 catches and 11th with 1,161 receiving yards. 

He also recorded six touchdown grabs, but such production hasn't caused him to forget what happened in the spring of 2021. 

"I’m still p----- off to this day," St. Brown admitted about his draft slide. "But I learned something from it. I was going to go hard every day, every play, to prove all those teams made a mistake. That’s why I go so hard. The guys they picked before me, I’m watching." 

St. Brown is just one reason sportsbooks expect the Lions to win the NFC North division title this season, an accomplishment that could result in quarterback Jared Goff receiving a lucrative contract extension next year. 

It sounds like even hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy wouldn't stop St. Brown from using the events of the 2021 draft as motivation throughout the remainder of his promising career.