In 2013, West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin was a can’t-miss prospect whom the St. Louis Rams moved up eight spots to select in the NFL Draft.
Austin hasn’t been a total bust, but it’s safe to say the Rams had hoped for a more impressive stat total during his four-year career.
The Los Angeles Rams are considering several wide receivers when they make their first selection in the 2017 NFL draft in the second round with the No. 37 pick overall. Jessica Morrey of NBC’s Waco, Texas affiliate, tweeted that Baylor wideout KD Cannon is on that list (h/t turfshowtimes.com).
KD Cannon says he has two private workouts scheduled with the Detroit Lions and LA Rams. #Baylor #NFL
— Jessica Morrey (@JessicaMorrey) April 5, 2017
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Washington’s John Ross, USC’s JuJu Smith-Schuster and East Carolina’s Zay Jones also are WRs who could be available when the Rams make their first pick. ESPN’s Todd McShay noted that Los Angeles has to find a No. 1 receiver in the draft but admitted that it’s easier said than done.
“I don’t know how you can do it, besides just hitting on a second-, third, fourth-round pick,” McShay said, “but they’ve got to find a true go-to receiver.”
The Rams thought they had that when they climbed from No. 16 overall to No. 8 in a trade with the Buffalo Bills to get Austin, who caught 112 passes for 1,289 yards and 12 touchdowns, and rushed for 643 yards and three more TDs his senior season for the Mountaineers.
“He’s a phenomenal player,” the Baltimore Sun reported ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said during a conference call in April of 2013. “I saw him in high school here at Dunbar in Baltimore, and he was outstanding. He was a man among boys. He’s just tremendously electrifying, great quickness. I think Tavon is going to have a heck of a career.”
Over his four-year career, Austin is averaging 27.8 receiving yards per game and 16.4 rushing yards per game. His biggest contribution to the Rams may be in the punt-return game, where he has a career average of 8.7 yards per return. That may not yet add up to a “heck of a career.”
To be fair, Austin has been stuck in a bland offense that has had a carousel of journeyman quarterbacks over his career. New coach Sean McVay must find ways to unleash Austin’s talent and get second-year quarterback Jared Goff up to speed in getting him the ball.
But if the Rams look for a wide receiver with their first pick in the 2017 draft, they not only have to be confident in his abilities, but also confident in the offense’s abilities moving forward.
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