Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown thrived against zone coverage in 2024
One of the key traits a wide receiver needs to be successful is to be able to recognize almost immediately whether a defense is in man coverage or zone coverage. Knowing that will help the receiver better run his route and be able to find a spot in the defense where he is more likely to find the football.
The top receivers are excellent against both but can also still be better at one over the other. In the case of Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, he ended up as one of the top receivers against zone coverage in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus.
Here’s what PFF had to say about St. Brown, who ranked fifth overall against zone coverage:
“St. Brown placed third in PFF receiving grade against zone coverage in 2023 (91.0) and led all receivers in zone targets (112), catches (84), receiving yards (1,180) and first downs (56).
He picked up right where he left off in 2024, hauling in 91 of 107 targets for 1,048 yards (second most) and 51 first downs. St. Brown again led the league in targets, catches and first downs against zone while tying for the fourth-best zone catch rate (85.0%). He caught three touchdowns, forced 12 missed tackles and secured 12 of 17 contested targets, capping his season with a 116.0 passer rating targeted against zone.”
St. Brown was one of only two receivers to see at least 100 targets against zone coverage — the other was Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. He was also one of only two players to record over 1,000 yards against zone coverage, along with Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Those three receivers were joined by Rams WR Puka Nacua and Texans WR Nico Collins in the top five, with Nacua and Collins landing the top two spots.
Expect more zone coverage for St. Brown, including right out of the gate, in 2025. Their Week 1 opponent, the Green Bay Packers, were primarily a zone team in 2024, running it about 78% of the time last season.
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