NFL Draft Profile: Kevin Austin Jr., Wide Receiver, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

NFL draft profile scouting report for Notre Dame wide receiver, Kevin Austin Jr.

The NFL Draft Bible | Mar 5, 2022

NFL Draft Profile: Kevin Austin Jr., Wide Receiver, Notre Dame Fighting Irish /

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish

#4
Pos: WR
Ht: 6023
Wt: 200
Hand: 0900
Arm: 3278
Wing: 7928
40: 4.43
Bench: N/A
3-Cone: 6.71
Shuttle: 4.15
Vert: 39"
Broad: 11'00"
DOB: 3/30/_
Eligible: 2022
Fort Lauderdale, FL
North Broward Prep High School

Kevin Austin Jr.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish

One-Liner:

A big-bodied and physical wide receiver who is great at catching the deep ball and makes a lot of contested catches. Very underrated prospect due to injuries in his career, but showed this past season that he can be a dangerous player and could end up being a middle-round steal in this draft.

Pros:

Big and strong receiver. Great at playing the deep ball, he has incredible tracking skills and can adjust his body accordingly to make the catch. He also has really strong hands and makes contested catches look fairly easy. Good route runner and is very decisive in his movements, you can tell he understands the route tree. He is fluid in his routes and knows the optimal body position to get open and make the catch. He has a surprising ability to change direction and that makes it extremely difficult to cover him on comeback routes. A very good leader and teammate, he always gives you his best effort, even when it’s just blocking, and is one of the first people in the end zone to celebrate a teammate's touchdown. Once the ball is caught he is very difficult to take down. He will surprise defenders with his speed and has great balance upon contact, as he is always fighting for extra yards.

Cons:

Not the flashiest athlete, he doesn’t have the quick-twitch and shiftiness in his game. Though he is an athletic player, he isn’t the type of player who can change direction multiple times and get open within a couple of yards. He gives great effort when blocking, but he isn’t the best at it. He gets out of balance and doesn’t always have the optimal hand placement. He also has an extensive injury history, which can be pretty scary for teams who are looking at him during this draft process. This past season was the only full season he played, so durability and health will be big points of concern for teams. Though his understanding and execution of the route tree is a strength of his, he only runs a very basic tree, so it could take him some time to become a big contributor.

Summary:

Anyone looking for this draft class’s Gabriel Davis, This is the prospect you are searching for. He is big and strong, with the ability to take the top off of a defense. He is not the fastest or most agile wide receiver in this draft, but the skill set he brings to a team is extremely important and effective. He has very strong hands and is terrific at contested catches, especially when playing the deep ball. He has great tracking skills and can adjust his body to be in the right position for making the catch. He is 6’2”, but plays even bigger and really knows how to use his body, most importantly when it comes to scoring touchdowns. He is a very good route runner, though he runs a very limited amount of routes. He had a lot of injuries so there are certain aspects of the game he needs to improve, most notably blocking. He is a willing blocker and always gives you great effort, but he doesn’t possess the techniques to be successful. For someone his size blocking is definitely something he will need to work on. He is a great leader and teammate, who leads by example and is always there to encourage teammates and celebrate their successes.

Background:

Born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He attended North Broward Prep, where he was a standout player. He was the 2017 Florida Mr. Football and was selected to Nike’s “The Opening”. He was a unanimous Top 100 ranked player in the nation as a high school senior. His college career was derailed by injury as he missed his sophomore and junior season. He did however take full advantage of his senior season and played a full season, showing exactly what he can do.

Grades:

Current Player Value/Potential Player Value

7.2 / 8.1

Quotes:

"This entire process has been exciting. Training at EXOS in Arizona has been an exciting experience. As for my time at Notre Dame, I always felt like I could play at that level. I just finally showed what I can do on the biggest stage." -- Kevin Austin Jr. on his NFL Draft process

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Published Mar 5, 2022

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