Stay or Go: Notre Dame WR Kevin Austin Has A Decision To Make
Notre Dame has a number of players that must decide if they are going to return for another season or if they are going to head to the National Football League. The decision for players like running back Kyren Williams and safety Kyle Hamilton are easy, and you can expect both to head to the NFL.
For players like wide receiver Kevin Austin the decision isn't quite as easy. I am kicking off our "Stay or Go" feature by looking at the case for Austin to stay, to go and offer what I think he should do.
THE CASE FOR STAYING
Austin has the talent of a day two pick, and if he can put it all together I could see him using a strong combine to boost him into the early day two, late day one area. The problem is right now Austin's game and resume isn't anywhere close to that of a day one or day two pick.
Consistency - At times this season Austin showed the kind of playmaking ability that had Notre Dame fans so excited to see him the last three seasons. The issue is there were far, far too many instances where he looked like a guy who wasn't sure how to maximize his potential.
There were too many dips in focus, which we saw when he would drop simple throws. At times he looked like a guy that was borderline unguardable, but too often he looked like a player that was just getting by on God-given ability. Yes, he finished strong, twice hauling in 6 passes for over 100 yards in the final four games, but that came against poor competition.
When Austin played against better competition - like Purdue and Virginia Tech - or against bigger corners - like USC and and North Carolina - he struggled to make anything happen. His issues getting off the line are especially problematic, especially when looking to the NFL, where he will see a lot more man coverage.
Technique - Much of his consistency problems are related to the fact he's quite under-developed from a technique problem. He has technical issues with almost every part of his game. Yes, he got better as the season wore on but he's a long, long way from being where he needs to be. The good news is that a strong offseason can change things and get him on track, but he needs that work.
Austin's biggest issue comes with how he comes off the line and gets into his routes. His inability to consistently get a clean release against press coverage was a huge problem. Purdue and Cincinnati were especially effective at neutralizing him, and that is going to be the first film that teams look at, and it's not good. He needs more good games on his resume to really overcome those issues, and that can only come in 2022.
Austin also struggles with stacking corners even when he is able to get off the line. That inability to close corners out allowed defenders to eventually get back in position to make contested throws even more challenging. In the instances where Austin was able to stack he made big plays, so the potential is clearly there.
The senior also needs work with his overall route technique. He needs to do a better job properly attacking off defenders from a leverage standpoint. Too often he doesn't stress the defenders, which allows them to stay tighter in coverage against him than they should. His top ends also need some work, and he must improve his ability to accelerate through the look back on deep balls.
His timing on contested throws also needs work, and that's something that only comes with experience. Overall, his lack of technique prevented him from using his strength and length in a manner that he should, and that's going to turn a lot of NFL scouts off when they are thinking about day two or early day three selections, no matter what he does at the combine or pro day.
Production - This might all sound harsh for a player that caught 42 passes for 783 yards (18.6 YPC) and six touchdowns, but that's why Austin needs to come back. Imagine the production he could have if he returned for the 2022 season with an improved and enhanced game. Austin could easily be a 60+ catch, 100+, 10+ touchdown performer next season if he were to really work on his craft and get another year of experience.
As it stands right now, Austin doesn't even have 1,000 career yards. He enters the bowl matchup against Oklahoma State with just 48 career catches, 891 career yards and six touchdowns. Combined with his consistency and lack of technique there are going to be a lot of NFL scouts and decision makers concerned about taking the risk.
This is one of the things that hurt Javon McKinley last season after McKinley hauled in 42 passes for 717 yards (17.1) in 12 games. Austin will test better than McKinley, but some of the red flags are similar.
Injury History - Austin missed basically two full seasons, one with an injury and another due to suspension. That injury history is going to be yet another red flag. Coming back, improving his game and showing he can stay healthy for a second season would not only allow him to have a monster season, it would also make NFL teams a lot more comfortable with pulling the trigger with him much earlier in the draft.
THE CASE FOR LEAVING
There isn't much of a case for Austin leaving other than he's very talented and his injury history. One case for his injury history is to prove he is over it and it was just a one year issue, the other is that he risks getting injured again, which would diminish his stock.
In my opinion the former is more important than the latter. Him coming back next season and battling injuries is going to have a very similar impact that his current resume will have. Just too many questions and not enough production to answer them.
THE VERDICT
Austin needs to return for his final season. He has the talent and potential to be a dynamic college player, and if he can improve his craft, maximize his production potential and prove he can stay healthy I have no doubt his draft stock will skyrocket next season.
This is also a very deep draft class according to Ryan Roberts of RiseNDraft, and there are just far too many players with a more proven track record, better injury histories and better games. If Austin comes back and becomes the player I know he can be the case in the 2023 NFL Draft will be much, much different and he could become a red hot name.
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