Lions offensive coordinator John Morton has been coaching in the NFL for 20-plus years and has been around a lot of great wide receivers, including Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Tim Brown from his days in Oakland on the Raiders' offensive coaching staff.
But being around Lions All-Pro receiver [Amon-Ra St. Brown](https://www.detroitlions.com/team/players-roster/amon-ra-st-brown/) as an offensive assistant in Detroit in 2022 and now as the offensive coordinator this season, Morton is convinced St. Brown is the most complete receiver he's been around.
"I told St. Brown the other day, 'You're the best I've ever been around. Run and pass. The way you prepare, the professionalism,' what he does in the offseason," Morton said this week when asked about St. Brown, who currently leads the NFL with six touchdown receptions.
"He reminds me of Anquan Boldin - they just come to work. All they want to do is dominate every single play. But I told him, I said, 'I don't really care what the coverage is, you're going to get open' and Jared (Goff) has that comfort level with him. When you've got that, it's kind of easy to call plays."
On top of those six touchdowns, St. Brown has 27 catches for 307 yards and has been one of the big catalysts behind Detroit's 3-1 start and No. 1 scoring offense.
St. Brown said this week that Morton has told him directly that he's the best, something St. Brown admitted he had a hard time wrapping his head around when he realized the caliber of receivers Morton has been around in his coaching career.
"And in my head I'm like, 'Didn't you coach Jerry Rice? There's no way I'm the best,'" St. Brown said. "But like I said, it means a lot, it means the world, but I got to keep proving it, man. Just because he says it now doesn't mean much if I can't keep doing it."