Tavon Austin – MDHQ

Rams Serious About Drafting Tavon Austin?

D. Wash — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 02:35:48 +0000

It is no secret that the Rams need a new starting caliber receiver after Danny Amendola took his talents to Foxboro and the New England Patriots. Brian Quick had 11 receptions and two touchdowns in his rookie year, so the jury is still out on if he’s part of the Rams long term plans. Quick was deactivated for several games which is rare for a rookie receiver especially one selected in the second round.

With that said the Rams are definitely in the market for a receiver. Could West Virginia’s Tavon Austin be the best fit to replace the production of Danny Amendoa? According to Mel Kiper and other scouts, that’s exactly the scenario St. Louis hopes to occur.

The guy’s got Az Hakim-like quickness,” an unnamed veteran scout told Thomas. “If you get him the ball on the field anywhere, he can score. Hand it to him, toss it to him, bubble screen it, throw it deep.”Regardless of whether Austin is gone by the time the Rams pick at No. 16, they need to add a receiver who can make an impact.

Source: Pro Football Talk

2013 NFL Draft: Tavon Austin in the Top 10?

D. Wash — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 19:05:41 +0000

As we get closer and closer to the 2013 NFL Draft, more and more stories seem to come out of the woodwork. Will team A do this? Will team B do that? Most of it is 99% hearsay but as with any rumor there is a hint of truth in it.

So when I heard talks of Tavon Austin being looked at by a top 10 team I hesitated to immediately dismiss it. Scouts such as Todd McShay have already said publicly that Austin is the quickest athlete they’ve ever seen on film. Tavon did blow up the combine. He was virtually unstoppable at West Virginia. There has to be a little something to this… right?

Let’s look at the top 10. Which one of these teams would take a gamble that big on a little guy?

1. Chiefs- no, just no.
2. Jaguars- nah.
3. Raiders- too many of the same type of receiver already.
4. Eagles- they have the “slower” version already in DeSean Jackson.
5. Lions- doubt it.
6. Browns- bigger needs elsewhere. Even QB makes more sense.
7. Cardinals- see: Browns.
8. Bills- gettin’ warm…. I could see it happening here.
9. Jets- ding, ding, ding! If there is a team that’s bold enough to draft Tavon Austin top 10 it’s the Bills or the J-E-T-S. Both teams need a game changer at WR and are no strangers to BOLD moves.

All in all I don’t see it happening, these type of receivers go in the 25-50 range. I don’t think a team can afford to blow a premium pick here. One of my favorite players of all time was Peter Warrick and he went 4th overall…. that didn’t work out too well.

Tavon Austin Receiving Praise From Todd McShay

Chris — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 20:56:38 +0000

Tavon Austin wowed all of us with his quickness and versatility as a play maker on his way to over 2,900 all-purpose yards in his Senior season at West Virginia. He’s been criticized for his size(just 5’9”) and questioned on if he can be the same kind of home run threat in the NFL, but Scout’s Inc.’s own Todd McShay’s latest tweet suggests that Austin can be a difference maker.

“WVU WR/RS Tavon Austin might be the quickest human being I’ve ever studied on tape… Sent from my iPad” -Todd McShay.

McShay’s colleague at Scouts Inc. Kevin Weidl responded to the tweet with “not getting out of the first round.” Austin is mustering up comparisons of both Percy Harvin and Desean Jackson for his ability to effect the game both on offense and special teams.

I have a feeling that Austin will be turning heads during the combine and will help his stock immensely. He’s currently looked at as a late first round to early second round pick. If he does perform well at the combine I could see him sneaking into the top-15.

He’ll never be your prototypical number one outside receivers, but as a play maker and possession receiver, plus a creative offensive coordinator, Austin will be electric. He still needs to show he can perform against bigger defensive backs, struggling against Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro.

I think Tavon Austin would be a nice fit in either San Francisco at 31 or New England at 29.

Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisDommermuth