Amon-Ra St. Brown sets Lions rookie receiving yards record

In the season finale against the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions’ fourth-round pick Amon-Ra St. Brown set the franchise record for receiving yards in a rookie season. With his performance against Green Bay, he surpassed former Lions' first-round pick Roy Williams, who put up 817 yards in his rookie season.

St. Brown only needed 15 yards on Sunday to break Williams’ record, and while the former USC receiver benefitted from a 17-game schedule, St. Brown actually managed to break Williams’ record in a fewer amount of pass targets. It took Roy Williams 118 targets to reach his record. It only took St. Brown 110 targets.

This marks just one of many accomplishments from St. Brown’s illustrious rookie season. A couple weeks ago, he was named NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Month for December after catching 35 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns—including a walk-off winner—in just four games. St. Brown has also been nominated for Rookie of the Month in four out of the past five weeks, and tied the Lions record for most consecutive games with eight catches or more—a record he can break if he finishes with eight or more catches against the Packers. UPDATE: St. Brown caught his eighth pass of the game in the fourth quarter, breaking that record, too.

He broke the Lions' rookie record for receptions in a single season back in Week 14 and continues to put distance between himself and the rest of the pack.

“I don’t want to say guys like Saint are rare,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said earlier this week, “but they’re damn near rare for the fact that you can come in and get your feet under you and be able to get your confidence and your skillset to a certain level to be very competitive by the end of your first year. That doesn’t always happen.”

Congratulations to St. Brown for an unforgettable rookie season. Let’s hope this is just the beginning.