Mike's Beer Bar War Room: Upon inspection, Austin's more than gadgetry

When one looks at the size of the Steelers' fourth-round pick, Calvin Austin III, one might think he's a specialty or gadget player. But turn on his game tape, and it's evident he's much more than that.

How does the former University of Memphis star fit in with his new team? What are his strengths and weaknesses? And what's the likely plan with this new addition? 

Plain and simple, this was my favorite pick of the Steelers' 2022 class. 

However, unlike the selections of wide receiver George Pickens and defensive tackle DeMarvin Leal, Austin wasn’t a huge recruit and doesn’t have the pedigree and impressive backstory of the two players the Steelers selected ahead of him. Why? Austin is a shade under 5-foot-8. Players who are Austin’s height very rarely succeed in the NFL. 

Well, maybe Austin wasn’t as accomplished as a high school football player as Pickens and Leal, but he was quite the track athlete. Austin can fly.

In high school, Austin won nine state championships in track and set five school records, excelling in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters. Austin enrolled at Memphis, his father’s alma mater, as a preferred walk-on while also running track for his first two years. 

Obviously, Austin went on to earn a football scholarship, and he had 137 catches for 2,202 yards and 19 touchdowns over his final two college seasons. He averaged 95.8 receiving yards per game last year. He also had a punt return for a touchdown in each of those two seasons and is a very accomplished return man, something that should quickly apply in his rookie season. Although, he could be cleaner and more reliable fielding punts. 

Austin’s speed translates to the football field. He explodes out of his stance and gets up to full speed very quickly. Austin is an instant accelerator with an extra gear down the field that few possess, even at the NFL level. His pure speed is lethal, and Austin is great at exploiting that advantage. 

Austin ran a 4.32 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and his 1.44 10-yard split was second to only Tyquan Thornton, New England’s second-round pick. 

He does a great job breaking off his route for an easy cheap gain when the opponent gives him a huge cushion. As you see when Austin is returning punts, he has very quick and sudden feet. He changes directions very abruptly with short choppy steps but also will open up his stride length in space and simply run away from defenders. This is a player that turns it up a notch the instant he gets the ball in his hands:

At his size, Austin doesn’t have a large catching radius with just a 73-inch wingspan, but he helps make up for it by plucking the ball well away from his frame with soft reliable hands. He tracks the deep ball well and is very competitive at the catch point in traffic for a receiver his size. 

Still, he could have a tough time in the NFL in heavily contested situations. Austin does maximize his size though, has a well-built frame and isn’t bashful as a blocker. 

Austin is very competitive, and unlike many track athletes-turned-football players, he shows plenty of toughness. Austin has a defensive back background in high school and isn’t afraid to throw his body around. As mentioned earlier, Austin was extremely productive in his final season at Memphis, but he also played with an ankle injury for much of that season. He was still dominant despite the injury. 

This isn’t just a gimmick/satellite player though. In fact, Austin is at his best as a traditional outside wide receiver. And he excels against press man coverage:

Folks, those two traits are rare for a receiver with Austin’s unassuming dimensions. In fact, over 90 percent of Austin’s routes last year came from a traditional outside alignment where Austin was running a full route tree. While he excelled on the outside in college, he should also see plenty of time in the slot going forward and as a motion player pre-snap even though he only aligned in the slot on 52 snaps last season for the Tigers. 

Matt Canada is going to love what Austin brings to his offense. 

Once Austin’s rare speed is known throughout the league, the affect Austin will have in jet motion will become very potent, even if Austin isn’t given the football. The edge defender in charge of keeping contain will be watching Austin screaming at him parallel to the line of scrimmage. 

When Canada uses such a tactic and hands the football on an interior run to Najee Harris, the edge defender in conflict can’t crash down as hard on the inside running play. Austin aligned in the backfield at times at Memphis but likely does not have the size to do that with any regularity going forward. 

Austin was a terror at the Senior Bowl, an event that is tailored to his strengths. But that was also against cornerbacks that were far superior to what Austin played against at Memphis. 

Of the top wide receiver prospects in this draft, Austin is one of the oldest. He will turn 24 years old in March. That isn’t ideal, but he brings a mature all-around game to his new team.

When the Steelers are in their 11 Personnel (1 RB/1 TE), a grouping they utilized a whopping 75 percent of the time, the best guess now is we will see Diontae Johnson and Pickens on the outside and Chase Claypool as a big power slot receiver. 

But that is a bit of a projection at this point and Austin has a chance to not only back up all three of those spots, but also substitute in as a much different style of wide receiver than those three. 

Fellow former Memphis wide receiver Anthony Miller could also factor in as a true traditional slot receiver as well. The Steelers only ran nine snaps last year with four wide receivers on the field, but maybe that is an approach that is used with a bit more frequency in 2022. 

The NFL is all about creating big plays and Austin is a big play waiting to happen. 

He should be used in a variety of ways to gain chunk yardage. But even if just asked to line up on the outside and run traditional routes, Austin could have a large role in the league. He’ll be doing much more than that for the Steelers, though.