Five potential NFL landing spots for Notre Dame receiver Kevin Austin
By most accounts, Notre Dame wide receiver Kevin Austin had one of the best NFL Combine performances on Thursday.
He was a fringe Day 3 draft pick before arriving in Indianapolis, and history shows the numbers he posted will lead to his name being called at some point during the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas in late April.
Austin, who was Notre Dame’s leading receiver in 2021, could add depth to a number of NFL teams, but here are a few organizations in need of the skills Austin’s brings to the table.
Teams are listed in alphabetical order.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons still have Calvin Ridley under contract in 2022, but he played just five games in 2021 due to personal issues. Additionally, due to cap space, the Falcons are unlikely to go searching for big names during free agency. They will probably take one of the top wideouts early, but they could use another if Saturday rolls around Austin is still on the board.
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Buffalo Bills
The Bills certainly have bigger needs than receiver. Even though wideout Cole Beasley has requested permission to look at trade options, Stephon Diggs and Gabriel Davis are still an excellent pass-catching duo. But the Bills could look to add another body at the position, as they have a couple of free agents, including Emmanuel Sanders out on the free agency market. Austin could be a nice snag in one of the later rounds for Buffalo.
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Chicago Bears
Chicago, located less than 100 miles west of South Bend, loves Notre Dame players. Outside of third-year wideout Darnell Mooney, there are a plethora of questions for the 2022 Bears receiving corps. Chicago likely to take a receiver at some point relatively early in the draft, but they could snag a second one, particularly an explosive player from Notre Dame, if he’s still available in a later round.
Miami Dolphins
No. 1 Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle will be playing on Sundays for a long time, so a top receiver is not an issue for Miami. They do, however, have four receivers who are currently free agents, including former Notre Dame wideout Will Fuller. Austin is a South Florida native. Might he have the opportunity to head home and learn from both Waddle and innovative offensive mind and new Miami head coach Mike McDaniel?
Washington Commanders
Like the other teams on this list, the newly named Commanders have a WR1 in Terry McLaurin. Beyond that? It’s murky. Curtis Samuel is still under contract in 2022, but he had injury problems last season. Receiver certainly is not at the top of Washington’s list — they desperately need a quarterback to throw the ball to their receivers — but they might be smart to take a look at Austin if the timing is right.
