Calvin Austin NFL Draft Overview
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 5′-9″
Weight: 162 pounds
School: Memphis
Calvin Austin 2022 NFL Draft Profile
After spending the past five seasons at Memphis, wide receiver Calvin Austin is taking his talents to the professional level in the 2022 NFL Draft. Austin is coming off of the best season of his career, recording 74 receptions on 121 targets for 1,145 yards and eight touchdowns.
Austin originally joined Memphis all the way back in 2017. Originally on the track team, Austin made the football program as a walk-on and took some time to figure things out. In 2019, he recorded just 17 receptions for 315 yards and three touchdowns. However, he finally broke out in 2020, recording 63 receptions for 1,053 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Strengths
- Blazing fast speed and great all-around athlete;
- Quick acceleration off the line of scrimmage with potential to blow past defenders;
- Runs crisp routes and is more than just a deep threat;
- Had good chemistry with his quarterback on scramble drills – suggests strong football IQ;
- Special teams experience with punt return upside.
Weaknesses
- Size concerns means he could struggle against press at NFL level;
- Only has one speed – needs to learn to change up his acceleration;
- Already a redshirt senior and didn’t break out until his age-21 season;
- Easily overpowered in contested catch situations;
- Does not break many tackles;
- Disappointing catch radius – doesn’t haul in off-target passes.
NFL Comparison: John Ross
Teams With Need at Position: Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints
Projection: Round 4-5
Bottom Line on Calvin Austin
Calvin Austin is a fun receiver with big-play potential, but he lacks the consistency to ever develop into a regular starter. At first, it’s easy to see why teams could fall in love with a player like Austin. His speed is simply unmatched, as he has the raw potential to take the top off the defense at any given moment. While players of his build don’t typically have the deepest route tree, Austin is more than just a one-trick pony and can beat defenses at different parts of the field.
However, a deeper dive into his profile reveals some serious flaws. Austin is notably undersized for the position, and this shows up all over his film. He lacks the size to win in contested situations and the strength to make moves against press coverage. Additionally, despite his speed, Austin goes down far too easily after the catch and isn’t a huge YAC threat. Last, if you’re into analytics, you won’t like Austin’s profile. The Memphis product is a redshirt senior, which is a glaring red flag on its own, but he also didn’t break out until his age-21 season, when he was notably older than a lot of his competition.
Ultimately, Austin profiles as a fine depth receiver with some upside on special teams. While he might be good for the occasional big play, he probably won’t ever be a regular part of any passing attack.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
