Finding Broncos: Calvin Austin III | WR

Measurements

Height: 5-foot-8
Weight: 170 pounds
Arms: 30 inches
Hands: 9-1/4 inches

Combine Results

40-Yard Dash: 4.32 seconds
Vertical Jump: 39 inches
Broad Jump: 135 inches
3 Cone Drill: 6.65
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.07

Stats

Pros

His production exploded and was consistent the last two years when he earned a prominent role.
Offers up the ability to contribute as a returner.
Loose in the hips, which helps when the ball is in his hands, especially as a returner.
Has good weapons to counter press coverage at the line of scrimmage.
Has excellent speed that creates problems for defenders before and after the catch.
Doesn't get caught from behind often with his speed and can make defenders' angles obsolete.
Does an excellent job of altering speed through his routes and even with the ball in his hands.
A smooth runner that glides through his routes.
Has a high football IQ which he shows whenever the scramble drill starts.
Tough as nails and not afraid of contract, though he doesn't have much power.
Has a great burst in his routes to get separation instantly.
Won't let many passes slip through his hands.
Makes excellent adjustments on passes and tracks the ball well.

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Cons

A smaller receiver and his catch radius is on the limited side.
While he is tough, he isn't hard to batter through routes and disrupt his route running.
Contested catches are not an option.
There are many double catches, which needs to be cleaned up, and additional work on protecting the catch point better.
Needs work to improve his route running and selling fakes.
Extremely easy to bring down by tacklers.
Offers up special teams value as a returner, but he has many bad habits that put the offense in a bad spot.
Limited to working out of the slot.

Overview

Calvin Austin III is a fun receiver limited to the slot, but he brings home run potential every snap he is on the field. He has explosive speed that can be hard to cover and can easily take the top off of the defense.

Austin also has the ability to work as a returner and be a threat with his speed and how he sees the field. He had two punt return touchdowns on 29 returns.

Austin doesn't drop a pass often, with five last season on 121 targets and 16 in his career on 269 targets. He has only fumbled once in his career, but he does have three muffed punts on 29 returns and a bad habit of fielding them when he shouldn't. With what he brings on special teams, there are things that need to be refined, as well as calculating the risk against the reward.

All in all, Austin is a speedy slot receiver that can add a tremendous explosive element to whatever team he ends up with. He can work every level of the field, as long as you are designing plays to get him the ball in space. Austin is a receiver and not just a gadget player despite his size.

Fit with Broncos

Austin has some similarities with KJ Hamler and the word going around is that the Denver Broncos' injured wideout will be good to go by the start of the season as he covers from a bad knee injury. However, Hamler has dealt with injuries during his first two years and it's unclear whether he fully returns to form from this injury.

Austin could be an option for Denver as competition/depth for Hamler and as a returner option. Also, Denver could easily work Hamler and Austin on the field and create an issue of speed for defenses. Both can take the top off a defense and work underneath in space to make something happen. It'd essentially be telling the defense to pick its poison.

Austin also works with the scheme and what Russell Wilson likes to do on offense. The issue is with what the Broncos have invested in the receiver position over the last couple of years and whether they'll be willing to spend another high pick on the position.

Grade: Middle Round 3

Where he Goes: Late Round 3/Early Round 4

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