Packers add another big target with Notre Dame's Equanimeous St. Brown

GREEN BAY – His 11-letter first name is a tribute to tranquility. Equanimeous, a derivative of equanimity, was meant to stay calm no matter what he faced. In his toughest moments, he would pull through.

“Good with pressure,” he said.

Maybe Equanimeous St. Brown’s first name served as a helpful reminder Saturday afternoon. As the NFL draft’s rounds ticked by, the fifth following the fourth, Equanimeous’ phone was silent. He watched 24 receivers drafted before him, including two Saturday that will join him in Green Bay.

“I expected to go higher,” Equanimeous said. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed. But it’s over now. It’s behind me now. I’ve just got to play football.”

That might be the best thing that transpired on an otherwise frustrating day. Not only will Equanimeous St. Brown — his nickname is EQ, he said — get to play football, but he’ll receive passes from two-time MVP Aaron Rodgers. Even more, St. Brown will join his former college quarterback in Green Bay.

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St. Brown played one season with Packers backup DeShone Kizer at Notre Dame. He caught 58 passes for 961 yards and nine touchdowns with Kizer as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback in 2016. Despite playing the same number of games (12), his numbers dropped to 33 receptions for 515 yards without Kizer last fall.

Not long after the Packers drafted him, St. Brown said he got a call from Kizer.

“He was excited,” St. Brown said. “He was stoked. We had a great connection when we played together. Now we’re back on the same team. So it’s good for me. It was great.”

St. Brown has plenty of competition ahead of him. He was the third receiver the Packers drafted Saturday, joining Missouri’s J’Mon Moore and South Florida’s Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

The Packers needed to add to their receiver depth chart after releasing Jordy Nelson and Jeff Janis this offseason. They’re now projected to have 11 receivers on their offseason roster at a position the Packers traditionally keep no more than seven. St. Brown said he doesn’t mind competing for his spot.

“Competition only makes you better,” he said. “Especially me. So I’m not worried about it. It comes with the game.”

St. Brown, who said he was given a fourth-round grade from the NFL draft’s advisory board, is thought to have significant upside. At 6-4¾ and 214 pounds, he ran a 4.48 40 at the NFL scouting combine.

St. Brown said his playing weight was 203 pounds at Notre Dame. On Saturday, he said he added four more pounds since the combine, up to 218 with the potential to add even more.

His size fits a theme the Packers established Saturday. Each of their three receivers stood at least 6-3, something coach Mike McCarthy said they liked about this crop of wideouts.

“I’ve always preferred bigger receivers,” McCarthy said.

Now, the Packers will see who can stand above the rest.

Equanimeous said his name fits his personality. He never gets too high, never too low. But he admitted Saturday’s slip sparked his internal drive.

When he arrives in Green Bay, Equanimeous expects to show what he can do.

“It definitely fueled me more than I thought it would,” he said. “I’m definitely ready to start playing football. I’ve never been this ready for anything in my life.”

The Equanimeous St. Brown file

Position: Receiver.  School: Notre Dame. Pick: Round 6, 207 overall.

Height: 6-4 3 ⁄ 4. Weight: 218. Age: 21. Hometown: Anaheim, Calif. Lowdown: Tall and long receiver with room to add more weight. Ran impressive 4.48 40 at combine. Slipped to sixth round Saturday after saying NFL draft advisory board gave him a fourth-round grade. “I expected to go higher,” he said. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed." Former college teammate of Packers backup quarterback DeShone Kizer. Caught 58 passes for 961 yards and nine touchdowns in 2016, his lone season as full-time starter with Kizer. Production dipped to 33 catches for 515 yards and four touchdowns last season. One of three receivers Packers drafted Saturday. “Competition only makes you better,” St. Brown said. “Especially me. So I’m not worried about it. It comes with the game.”