This series was created in response to questions about why certain well-known prospects went unselected in NFL drafts. For these articles, I reach out to sources with NFL teams to find out why their organizations passed on drafting a given player, and/or, what were the reasons for other teams to pass on that prospect. The positive response to “Why Undrafted” and questions from readers about why prospects were drafted lower than the media expectations led us to create the parallel series “Why the Slide?”
Both series are back this year. Feel free to email me requests for Why the Slide? and Why Undrafted? at [email protected]. I can’t promise to get to all of them, but I will do my best and definitely will respond to the email.
During the 2021 college football season, Memphis wide receiver Calvin Austin III was of the most explosive and dangerous weapons in the nation. The small speedster caught 74 passes for 1,149 yards and eight touchdowns. That succeeded a 2020 season in which he made 63 catches for 1,053 yards and 11 touchdowns. Given his point-scoring potential, many thought Austin would be a second- or third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Austin, however, slid to the fourth round.
In speaking to team sources, Austin being 5-foot-7, 173 pounds was the big issue. Other small receivers have gone early in NFL drafts, like Rams second-round pick Tutu Atwell in 2021, but Austin is even smaller than some of those receivers. There have been some mid-round and third-day success stories with smaller speed receivers like Tyreek Hill, Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace, but also there have been big-time busts among smaller speed receivers, such as Tavon Austin and Corey Coleman. Hence, size was the issue that hurt Austin the most.
The Pittsburgh Steelers ended Austin’s slide in the fourth round, and they were a mixed landing spot. Under Mike Tomlin, the Steelers have had a lot of success with small receivers, like Brown and Wallace. However, Pittsburgh has its top three receivers set with Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and George Pickens. Austin could be an excellent rotational fourth or fifth receiver and shot player to platoon with those veterans. As a fourth-round pick, Austin could be a nice value as a backup and rotational wide receiver.
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