The Green Bay Packers may have to take a few calculated risks while rebuilding the team’s wide receiver position during the 2022 draft. This means using a high pick on a receiver and likely selecting two or even three receivers over the three-day draft.
Using a mid-round pick on Notre Dame’s Kevin Austin Jr. could be one of the more aggressive swings in the receiver draft class.
The potential is undeniable: Austin tested as one of the top overall athletes in the draft class and is coming off a breakout junior season. He has an incredible blend of length (6-2, almost 80″ wingspan), straight-line speed (4.43 seconds in the 40) and instant acceleration ability (1.48-second 10-yard split, 6.71-second three-cone drill). Think the body of James Jones but with elite speed, jumping ability and change of direction explosion. Austin’s Relative Athletic Score is 9.93 out of 10.0, meaning he’s in the 99th percentile for size and athleticism at the wide receiver position.
In 2021, Austin used his rare gifts to catch 48 passes for 888 yards and seven scores while averaging 18.5 yards per catch. Wisconsin football fans should remember the name: he caught a pair of touchdown passes (including the go-ahead 36-yarder in the first half) during Notre Dame’s blowout win over the Badgers in September. Austin finished his breakout season with three 100-yard receiving games over his final five, including 125 yards against Stanford and 105 against Oklahoma State in Notre Dame’s bowl game. He made impact play after impact play. According to Dane Brugler of The Athletic, 81.5 percent of Austin’s career catches resulted in a first down or touchdown.
The athleticism consistently shows up on tape. He wins at the line of scrimmage with strength, down the field with speed and at the top of routes with quickness. Austin is a twitchy athlete with explosive movement ability that easily translates to creating separation at the next level. While his sample size is limited, Austin did make a number of plays on deep throws and displayed some of the best ball-tracking ability in the class. Having a 79.5″ wingspan and 39″ vertical leap gives him arguably the best catch radius in the class.
Austin might have room to grow as an all-around receiver, but he’s only 22 and is still a ball of clay after playing in so few games at the college level.
He won’t be a high pick in the draft because of the red flags. He created only one season of legitimate production over four years at Notre Dame because of a year-long suspension in 2019 and two foot surgeries in 2020 costing him nearly the entire season. Austin made only 13 collegiate starts and will have questions to answer on what went into his suspension and if his foot injury is a long-term concern.
Despite the warts on his draft profile, Austin’s incredible potential will become especially intriguing to the Packers in the middle rounds if the team can snag a receiver early in the draft. Combining Austin with a player like Chris Olave, Treylon Burks or George Pickens could be one effective strategy for fixing the position long-term.
“His size, traits and ball skills on deep throws are instant checkmarks in his favor and his reputation as an elite practice player earlier in his career should carry some weight. He has middle-round value with a higher ceiling but lower floor,” Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote for Austin’s draft profile.
From Brugler: “Overall, Austin is stamped with a buyer-beware label from scouts because of his injuries and past mistakes, but he is a talented pass catcher with outstanding testing athleticism who has yet to play his best football. At a certain point in the draft, his upside will be worth the risk.”
Austin has the athletic profile of a No. 1 receiver, but he’s likely to be available on Day 3. The Packers need a No. 1 receiver long-term and should take as many swings as necessary to find one in this draft class. There’s obvious risk involved, but no mid-round receiver has a better chance of becoming a star than Austin – making him an ideal player for the Packers to target with one of their six Day 3 draft picks in 2022.
