Hold up, you guys. Dan Campbell just spilled the beans on one of the wildest draft what-ifs you’re gonna hear, admitting that if the Detroit Lions could hit rewind on the 2021 NFL Draft, they would have absolutely traded up for Amon-Ra St. Brown. We’re not talking a slight jump; he said they’d have grabbed St. Brown right behind their initial seventh overall pick, Penei Sewell!
Brad Holmes Saw the Pit Bull Way Before the Draft
This isn’t just some hindsight heroics from Campbell. The man laid it all out during an appearance on the St. Brown Podcast. He revealed that general manager Brad Holmes was already “full tilt into it” on St. Brown, having watched the USC receiver for a whopping two or three years even before the draft. This wasn’t some lucky fourth-round lottery ticket they stumbled into. Holmes had been meticulously studying St. Brown long, long before draft weekend even kicked off.
When Campbell himself finally dug into the film, what he saw was exactly the same dominant player tearing it up today. “I just remember you were a freaking pit bull, man,” Campbell told St. Brown. “You were at the college level what you are here. You get after dudes.” And this wasn’t just about his monster blocking, though that was “big.” Campbell emphasized St. Brown’s raw physicality in other ways too: “I’m talking about the way you separated at the top of routes, the way you broke out, your play speed.” He literally said the “speed didn’t matter,” because St. Brown’s “play speed was fast, and you were a football player. That was evident.” The Lions’ own 2021 draft profile sang praises about his route running, body control, and clutch ability to win contested catches. Yeah, they knew he ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash at his pro day, a measurable that might have made other teams pause. But Campbell? He clearly didn’t give a damn about the stopwatch.
The Wild Gamble That Paid Off, Big Time
So, the million-dollar question: If they loved him that much, if Holmes was tracking him for years and Campbell saw a “pit bull,” why the heck did they wait until 112th overall? Seriously, 16 other wide receivers had already been snatched up by then! Campbell explained their high-stakes draft strategy, admitting both he and Holmes were “on your ass.” He said, “It was just about, when do we acquire you? When do we get the most value, bang for buck, and make sure we’ve got a chance to get you?” It’s that classic draft room poker game. You’re betting you’ve found a diamond in the rough that other teams are just plain undervaluing, and then you hold your breath hoping he’s still there when your pick comes around. Campbell put it perfectly: “You don’t know how everything’s going to turn out, but you know a football player when you see one.” This audacious plan worked out brilliantly, landing them a bona fide superstar in the fourth round. But man, Campbell was quick to point out, it “could have gone spectacularly wrong.”
That kind of calculated risk, seeing past the measurables and trusting your gut on a true “football player,” is exactly what separates the elite talent evaluators. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the biggest steals are hiding in plain sight, waiting for a team brave enough to know what they’re looking at. What a revelation about their draft philosophy!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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