Former Notre Dame standout sees his NFL future take a major hit with more uncertainty on the horizon after latest unfortunate news
A former Notre Dame standout received some difficult news this week
When former Notre Dame wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown came to South Bend in the 2015 recruiting class, a lot was expected from the California native. While he was inconsistent, “EQ” did manage to put together a successful three-year stretch for the Fighting Irish. In total, he hauled in 92 receptions for 1,484 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The 6-5, 205-pound pass catcher had his best season as a sophomore in 2016, leading the team with 58 receptions for 961 yards and nine touchdowns, an average of 16.6 yards per reception. His 2017 season wasn’t nearly as good while dealing with injury and inconsistency, but St. Brown still opted to leave early for the 2018 NFL Draft. That decision proved a bit unwise, not hearing his name called until the sixth round when the Green Bay Packers pulled the trigger at pick No. 207.
From a pure talent perspective, there were never any questions about St. Brown. Blessed with outstanding size, an insane catch radius, and long speed, there is no reason he shouldn’t have been a much higher selection. Issues with drops and consistency, however, led to St. Brown falling. There was developmental upside, but some major questions about whether he would ever reach his upside.
St. Brown has managed to play six seasons in the NFL with the Packers, Chicago Bears, and New Orleans Saints, but he has struggled to make much of an impact. In 62 games played, which has included 28 starts, St. Brown managed to haul in just 63 receptions for 928 yards and two touchdowns. That production is obviously less than stellar.
After playing the 2024 NFL season with the Saints, St. Brown was attempting to find a new home with the San Francisco 49ers. With only a couple of weeks left until opening day, the former Fighting Irish standout was dealt some difficult news this week when it was announced that the 49ers were releasing him. Still only 28 years old, there is still some hope that St. Brown can reach another level, but this latest news is pretty telling.
The 49ers have a wide receiver room that has been dealing with a lot of injury, and also said goodbye to Deebo Samuel this off-season. It was, in theory at least, an advantageous situation to potentially lock down a job. It feels like the writing could be on the wall for St. Brown, who is running out of opportunities. Having a six-year NFL career is nothing to be ashamed of, but most Notre Dame fans would have expected more when watching St. Brown make some big plays in the blue and gold.
The next landing spot, and opportunity, is going to be crucial for St. Brown. It could make or break his opportunity at longevity in the league.
College Football
Stat predictions for Arch Manning, CJ Carr, Bryce Underwood, Julian Sayin, and other first-year CFB starting quarterbacks
Predicting the stats for first-time starting quarterbacks in CFB
