Does Austin's 4.25 put him in talks for the pick at 12? I know people really like him, but he's def. a lightweight and what roll would he play in Miami's O? People like Patterson at 12, is it Patterson's size that sets him apart from Austin's blazing speed and quicks?
Could put him in the discussion, for sure. If Davone Bess is watching the Draft and he sees Tavon Austin drafted at 12 overall, he had better be nervous.
So, here's the thing. If he's in the discussion, do you think he can play both inside and out? Because if you pick him at 12, he better be more than just a niche player.
If you take him at 12 you'd better be sure he can play outside as well as inside. Playing outside is not something he ever showed at West Virginia. But he wasn't really given the opportunity either, was he?
Was reading some tweets a few days ago that mentioned the relationship between Bess and the Dolphins is jaded because the org. feels that Bess could've played more games than he did and feel he was exaggerating his back condition. I cant seem to find it on my timeline, and I am not sure of the rumors accuracy, but it is funny that you mention Bess as if he could be threatened.
Man, he sure is making this Bailey or Austin debate interesting.. Does anyone know how both looked during the game that Ireland was there for?
I believe it was the bowl game vs Syracuse where Bailey caught 8 for 121 and 2 TDs. Who knows, back in 2009 when we were scouting Pat White, perhaps Ireland took notice of a freshman by the name of Tavon Austin (in the 2 plays below), and it subsequently blossomed into a serious man-crush over the following 4 years. [video=youtube;S7ot0RG24jI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7ot0RG24jI[/video] [video=youtube;C4f3jipmKng]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4f3jipmKng[/video]
I really, really have an issue taking a guy like Austin #12 overall. That just stinks of luxury pick. He won't be there for our 2nd round pick so you just move on. You go grab a guy like Patterson @ #12, a guy who has demonstrated in a short period of time he can make giant strides in WR ability in very little time.
Lol..a fu&$ing freshman...electrifying...that stupid morgue we play in could use some of that..bump up draft stock..
He gets in the discussion if Miami nails free agency and is committed to giving Ryan Tannehill enough weapons to win with.
yes, and one or two will be added in FA so that Austin can serve as an outstanding compliment to. We're looking for more speed, explosiveness, chunk yardage, and improved scoring production, so I'm not sure why Austin doesn't fit that bill.
Unless you're Jeff Ireland I don't know how you know that. And I think if Ireland has balls, he's doubling up on wideouts anyway. I don't think he's one and done.
I will just say this. Tavon Austin averaged 10.5 yards per ATTEMPT when he was actually thrown the ball on wide receiver routes. That's after taking out 28 catches for 162 yards on sweep screens. These plays are essentially jet sweeps but instead of a hand-off, the QB lightly tosses the football about 2 or 3 feet distance into Austin's hand. It's technically a "pass". But it really isn't. You exclude those, you're talking 81 of 106 for 1114 yards...a 13.8 yards per catch, 10.5 yards per ATTEMPT average. That's as good as Cordarrelle Patterson, essentially. Incidentally Stedman Bailey was 115 of 146 for 1629 yards...which is 14.2 yards per catch and 11.2 yards per ATTEMPT. And people wonder why he's my #2 wide receiver.
If you don't exclude the sweep screens for Austin then his average drops down to 9.5 yards per attempt.
14 reps of 225 at 174 lbs for Austin, that's pretty good. As a comparison, Da'Rick Rogers did 10 reps and he's 6' 2 1/2 217 lbs. Quinton patton did 8 reps and Ace Sanders is close to Austin's size and did half the reps that Austin did.
This is all like judging cloud formations but I think Markus Wheaton looked fantastic overall. He didn't catch every ball during the drills but I didn't need him to because I feel like I already know that he'll drop a ball every now and then. What I liked was that he ran full out (unlike so many) and he judged the ball in the air well. And in the testing portions he absolutely did what he needed to do to show that he's got DeSean Jackson type speed. A 4.34 in the 40 yard dash, fantastic. Only Tavon Austin, Marquise Goodwin and (somehow) Kenny Stills did better. Also, what got me on the topic, Wheaton was one of the position leaders with 20 bench reps. You know the guy works out. That's what that tells me.
I'd think this is true, but at a certain point if you've made your bed and eaten your vegetables in the off-season he represents a pretty appealing luxury pick.
I would take Tavon Austin but the big question is just where and over whom. I've almost held Tavon in a different category from the regular wide receivers because I haven't wanted to rank him amongst them. I definitely like Cordarrelle Patterson more. I think I still like Stedman Bailey more. I think I still like Markus Wheaton more. After that...I don't know. Maybe that's ultimately where I'd have to put him.
Here's what I can't figure out- relative to size and skill sets, is Austin a #12 candidate when TY Hilton was a late 3rd pick and Joe Adams was a 4th rd pick? Austin is quite a talent, but then again so is Joe Adams and he had some nice plays at RB as well. Austin did 14 reps which is nice, but he's still 5-8 and change and 175 lbs soaking wet. I'm just not sure where I think that Austin should go in the draft.
As for the comparison with T.Y. Hilton, I think if Hilton played the level of competition that Austin played in college then he'd have probably gone higher. That was partly just a signaling problem. And as for the comparison with Joe Adams, I think Austin has been a much more electric player and is much faster. Also, Adams had a big fumbling issue in college which has followed him to the pros. But it's tough to figure where you'd take Tavon. I think the best comparison is probably Percy Harvin. I don't think the Dexter McCluster comparison holds because McCluster was a tailback. Austin wasn't a tailback, he was just unleashed at tailback against Oklahoma as an effort to try and fix the offense because it went through a really bad stretch where even throwing to the likes of Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin, Geno Smith couldn't carry the offense by himself. They needed more of a run game.
I tell you who quietly impressed me was Chris Harper. 6'1, 229 and ran a 4.5 and was beautifully smooth in the receiving drills. Good player.
This is the player I like as a replacement for Da'Rick Rogers. They're the same kind of player on the football field. Rogers is a little quicker and more explosive, I'll grant you that. But they both make plays in similar ways and have similar limitations. The big difference is that Chris Harper checks out better from a background and character standpoint. Da'Rick Rogers does not, at all. Three failed drug tests is monumentally stupid. And I believe there's other stuff going on there with him. His 10 bench reps considering what kind of player he is did not convince me that he works hard in the gym, either.
I'm thrilled all the WRs ran faster than Stdeman's 4.52 because a lot of teams will make the massive mistake of overlooking one of the best WRs in this draft: Stedman Bailey. The guy I can't decide how much I love is Terrance Williams.. boom or bust? I mean, he could come in and be an unbelievable deep threat, or become 'another guy'. His speed is not the best, but his stats for deep balls are unbelievable and I liked what I saw when I watched his games. He makes contested catches, wins hand fights (benched more than most of the WRs at the combine too, so he's strong).
At our current WR situation I'd take Patterson over Austin. If we add Jennings who can man the slot, I'd take Patterson. If we add Wallace or Bowe, I might be inclined to lean toward Austin and then grab an outside guy later.... although you could make the argument of Patterson and then Bailey for the slot. Tough decision.
