Calvin Austin III took some big strides in 2024. He became much more of a prominent player in the Steelers' offense, finishing third on the team with 58 targets and 548 receiving yards while also finishing second on the team with four touchdown catches.

While the overall production is a positive sign, it's how he got that production that's most encouraging.

One area that Austin drastically grew was in his ability to win against man coverage. According to Fantasy Points' Average Separation Score, Austin ranked 10th against man coverage among receivers who ran at least 100 routes. That's a higher rank than Ja'Marr Chase, DeVonta Smith, Tank Dell, Brian Thomas, Courtland Sutton, Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill and Cooper Kupp.

Austin did this in a number of ways. He's already twitchy and quick with good foot speed. But, he really improved the way he attacks defenders' hips to win back leverage. This touchdown catch against the Giants is a great example:

The cornerback lines up with outside leverage while Austin is set to run a corner route. He needs to get the cornerback to flip his hips inside before he gets out of his break so he stands a chance of gaining the separation he needs. He does exactly that, and the moment the cornerback flips his hips inside, Austin puts a foot in the ground and gets out of his break with great speed. Russell Wilson did the rest with a great pass.

At 5-9 and 162 pounds, Austin had to become a better route runner to stand a chance of evolving into a legitimate receiving option. Naturally, he doesn't have a large catch radius, so Austin needs to gain separation to give the quarterback a bigger target on a consistent basis.

Austin did exactly that in 2024. While it's not quite time to assume he can be a legitimate No. 2 receiver, he's shown that he is more than worth being a regular receiver in this offense, whether he lines up in the slot or outside.