2022 NFL Draft: Wide Receiver Deep Dive - Calvin Austin

    

Calvin Austin III - Memphis

Overview:

Strengths:

1. Release - Austin has excellent footwork off the line against press, and good speed off the line against off coverage. His lateral quickness and twitch translate to his release when lining up anywhere on the field.

2. Versatility - He can take a screen or sweep to the house, and his footwork, linear speed, and extensive route tree make him a threat on essentially every type of route imaginable.

3. Improvisation - Will generally help a scrambling quarterback by running to the open space. He then can make the most out of the play with his RAC ability.

Weaknesses:

1. Size - Austin cannot help getting bullied at the line on the outside. He is simply smaller, weaker, and has shorter arms than outside corners. He does not frequently win in contested catch situations, and has to make impressive acrobatic catches that 6'+ receivers would make easily.

2. Contact Balance - As much as a one-handed push can bring him down at times. He is strong for his size and fights for yards, but he is usually going down to the first contact.

3. Line Contact - Any contact at the line against press will slow down his route significantly.

Grade: Mid Third

Austin has the talent to be considered in the second round, and his combine showing strongly supports that argument. He only has a third round grade due to his size, inconsistent separation against better competition, and some injury concerns.

Film:

Mississippi State (09/18/2021): 9-105-2

Tough for his size, but does not run through defenders or lock up corners on blocks. Gets absolutely punished at the line against press. Defenders are simply stronger and have more length on than Austin on the outside. Incredibly quick feet off the line. Sold deep route well before making difficult low uncontested catch. Quarterback accuracy is really holding Austin back. Keeps moving to give his quarterback an outlet. Very slippery when running routes, with corners frequently grabbing him to keep up. Defenders run straight through him when he attempts to block. Very quick acceleration. Intelligent decision to pick ball up on kick return.

SMU (11/06/2021): 8-88-0

Slight drop step on release. Immediate acceleration after the catch. Good footwork on comeback. Excellent footwork to set up screen that did not end up working out (seen below) - sudden jab on the release to turn the defender's hips, then a quick three step pivot to get back to the open space. Struggling to get intermediate route separation, but appears to be playing slower than usual from the injury suffered this game. Cannot block. Knows how to run deep routes with subtle changes of direction mid-route, but is not getting the separation needed. Excellent contested catch, but season contested catch rate is only 28%. Great cuts in shorter routes. Dropped pass over his head. Effective jab on release throughout the game, consistently rotating the defender's hips how he pleases. Solid route tree. Deadly short area out routes.

Houston (11/19/2021): 5-103-0

Excellent sideline back shoulder catch. Too small to block effectively. Excellent release to turn corner's hips, but that did not translate in to separation. Struggling to sit in the hole. Nice stutter on deep route, which is likely the reason for the pass interference. Another incredible sideline catch. Great speed deep, and can kick in an extra gear when needed. Release always gives him a one step advantage. Slants against off coverage always lead to big plays. Marcus Jones is consistently winning the match-up when in press coverage.

UCF (10/22/2021): 7-44-0

Abrupt deceleration. Quick release. Gets separation if given any cushion in the flats. Great screen footwork. Out route is always open. Dropped pass down the sideline, but still showed great awareness of the boundary. No one within five yards of him on inside route from the slot. Not strong on the line, as expected. Footwork at the line gives him a step on the corner. Tossed down like he was weightless. Very nice spin to actually fight through contact and keep running.

Coverage:

Press

Corners can bully him at the line without much effort. That said, he can blow right by them if the contact is whiffed. His quick feet allow him to have a consistently effective release when there is no contact. NFL corners may bully him out of linear routes in tight press, but his lateral quickness may mitigate this issue on certain routes outside. He will likely be a designated slot receiver and gadget player at the next level, but can still be a weapon on the outside in the right situation.

Jam Response (in Press)

Awful. Austin is too small and weak to fight through contact. He can overcome some contact by avoiding a direct jam with quick movements, but it will slow his route down regardless.

Soft Press

Excellent against soft press. He knows how to move his feet to get a step in man coverage, but struggles with line contact. This eliminates the line contact, which is probably why it is so infrequently seen in his tape.

Squat

Ran effective dig routes, slants, and double moves against squat, even when the defender's hips were facing the right direction. This is better than off against Austin because the defense can respond to a quick pass faster, but it is still less effective than press in most situations.

Off

Austin shines against off coverage. Give him room to work on a slant, comeback, out route, bubble screen or any other option that allows him to work with space, and he will make a play without fail. Against Houston, the one play where he got the better of Marcus Jones was when Jones dropped back into off coverage.

Inside Zone

Good footwork to pivot quickly, but inconsistent at finding the hole in zone.

Route Distance:

Behind LOS

Austin is considered a gadget player by many due to his quick feet and RAC ability. He will not shed defenders, but caused 14 missed tackles from his quickness alone. His footwork to set up screens is fantastic, which is a quality not frequently seen in young players who usually telegraph screens by backing up immediately after the snap.

0-5 yards

Great drag and knows how to work the flats. Also sets up screens nicely by lurching two yards downfield before pivoting back behind the line of scrimmage. Against off coverage, he can turn and run quickly after the catch.

5-10 yards

This is where Calvin Austin displays is best route running. He has such quick feet that he can make breaks in any direction after his release and still be at full speed. His out route in this range almost seems unguardable with how quickly he can pivot and get to the sideline. He can find the zone most of the time, but should not be asked to take slants often in full stride because he could get seriously injured by linebackers who may outweigh him by 50%+ of his body weight. That said, Austin has an extensive route tree, and can be used in creative ways 5-10 yards out.

10-15 yards

He should have more separation based on his footwork and twitch, but is blanketed far too often for comfort 10-15 yards out (seen below). This route looked clean and it probably should have been called for pass interference, but he still did not separate from Marcus Jones despite his good footwork. He works the sideline surprisingly well for his size, and does manage to gain some separation on many plays. He just is not as consistent as expected for someone with his explosiveness.

15-20 yards

Crossing route over the middle is not run enough for a man of his traits. Does not get as much separation as he could after gaining a step on the corner. He has plenty of speed to do so, indicating that he needs a bit of route running refinement.

20+ yards

Very nuanced in deep route running. His stutters, subtle changes of direction, and ability to draw pass interference are impressive. He also has excellent straight line speed, as seen in his 4.32 40yd. In the NFL, he should be able to find success working deep over the middle of the field.

Blocking:

Willingness

Austin will get in the way haphazardly, but does not frequently commit to the block.

Technique

When squared up to the corner, his technique could be worse. At 172lbs, it hardly matters as defenders can run straight through him regardless of technique. He might slow down corners if he puts in more effort, but technique does nothing if he does not commit to the block.

Attributes:

Attributes		Grade (/10)	Notes
Separation	Short	7	Very quick feet that can get him a step on any corner. Also excellent in the open field against off coverage. Line contact slows him down, and he does not consistently find the zone. Quick feet could translate into better route running with practice.
	Medium	7	Does not frequently take advantage of steps gained in short areas. He has had good showings some games, but his inability to separate from Marcus Jones against Houston is concerning for when he is consistently against high levels of competition in the NFL. He has a great route tree, and is an overall solid route runner 5-10 yards out into man. Despite his projection as primarily a slot receiver, he needs to prove that he can consistently separate against the best before this grade can exceed an 8/10.
	Deep	7	Surprisingly good deep separation. Austin has a great mid-route stutter and knows how to use subtle cuts to maximize his space.
Release	Stance	9	Occasional drop step, but nothing too concerning.
	Acceleration	9	His lateral acceleration appears better than his linear acceleration. This is most likely the result of needing to get around press coverage and not going deep often from the slot. He has the ability to zip off the line linearly, but it appears submaximal in most of his tape.
	Hip Control	9.5	Stop-start, change of direction, and acceleration out of cuts are by-products of very fluid hips. He changes levels as well as anybody when needed, and has some of the best hips in class.
Hands	Catch Reliability	8.5	A drop rate of 6.3% is better than most of the top tier receivers in this class. Drops still happen on occasion, but he has sure hands overall.
	Catch Radius	2	The small wide receiver has a small catch radius. He can jump, dive, and make acrobatic catches, but that does not fully overcome his stature. Contested Catch - There were a couple of extremely impressive contested catches in his tape, but his 28% contested catch rate is not misleading. He will never box out a defender for positioning, but will always go hard after the ball.
Versatility	Starting Position	9	This would be a 10/10 if he consistently beat press and could break a tackle out of the backfield. He can still start outside and in the backfield, but his effectiveness in these areas will be limited in the NFL.
	Overall Skill Set	8.5	Austin is everything except a red zone threat. If he gained six inches, then he would be one of the most complete receivers in this draft class. He can start almost anywhere and run almost any route with some effectiveness. His size and lack of elite separation are the only reasons this is not a 10/10.
RAC	Athleticism	9	11'3 broad jump at 5'7(3/4) conveys the type of athlete he is. His body control, short area quickness, and speed make him one of the best athletes in this draft class.
	Agility	9.5	No one has quicker feet than Calvin Austin. He caused 14 missed tackles on the season, and it is not because he runs through people.
	Contact Balance	2	Outstretched arms and soft tackles will generally take him down. There are instances of him spinning away from contact and fighting for extra yards, but he can get pushed over rather easily.
Awareness	Sideline	9.5	Fantastic sideline awareness, consistently making back shoulder and diving toe tap catches. Surprisingly good at getting to the ball first on the sideline for his size.
	Defensive Scheme	8	Decent at finding the hole overall, and adjusts his route depending on coverage type. This would be higher than an 8/10 if he could consistently find separation underneath from the slot.
	Improvisation	8	Keeps moving in zone and will abandon his route when necessary to help the quarterback.

Full Report:

Austin is an unbelievable athlete, but his size is going to limit him more than anything in the NFL. He is blazing fast, has quick feet, and can be used in any capacity on the field. If a team needs a starting slot receiver, a field stretcher, a gadget player, a kick returner, or an outside west-coast chain mover, then Austin can fill that need. He is unbelievably versatile, has an extensive route tree, and is a smart football player with excellent field awareness. Most of his issues boil down to size. He cannot block, can get bullied at the line against press, and gets tackled by a swift breeze. He does not win most contested catch situations, and makes many acrobatic catches that a receiver of standard height would make easily. His quick feet do not always translate into separation, but he has every tool he needs to become a truly elite route runner. If he had all of his current athletic traits and gained six inches or so, then he may be in first round consideration. He had an excellent showing at the combine, and has solid overall tape. The reason he has a third round grade instead of a second is because many of his skills could have a difficult time translating to the NFL. The NFL has more lockdown corners and bigger defenders than college ball. Injury is a concern at his size, and he already took limited snaps in multiple 2021 games due to an ankle injury. His overall talent is more indicative of a second rounder, but these concerns bump his stock down significantly.

NFL Projection:

Calvin Austin may be drafted in the second round due to his combine showing and versatility, despite his size. He will be a slot receiver and gadget player whose snap percentages heavily depend on his landing spot. While he is capable of playing outside, Austin will likely never be used solely as an outside receiver. He will help his team by making the most of low volume and breaking big plays on deep balls from the slot and on short passes around the LOS.