The Steelers drafted a player the Ravens badly wanted to select
The Pittsburgh Steelers got one of the steals of the draft in the fourth round by selecting Memphis wide receiver Calvin Austin III. Austin is a speedy wide receiver (4.32 in the 40-yard dash) who was extremely productive over his last two seasons in college. The Memphis native caught 74 passes for 1,149 yards and […]
The Pittsburgh Steelers got one of the steals of the draft in the fourth round by selecting Memphis wide receiver Calvin Austin III.
Austin is a speedy wide receiver (4.32 in the 40-yard dash) who was extremely productive over his last two seasons in college.
The Memphis native caught 74 passes for 1,149 yards and eight touchdowns this past season for the Tigers. In 2020, he caught 63 passes for 1,053 yards and 11 touchdowns.
So why did a player with that kind of speed and history of production fall to the fourth round?
It's all because of his size. Austin is only 5-foot-9, which scared some teams away.
The Steelers, however, weren't scared away.
And neither were the Baltimore Ravens.
In fact, the Ravens were planning to select Austin with the No. 139 overall pick.
But then Pittsburgh ended up taking Austin at No. 138, which forced the Ravens to regroup.
Longtime NFL reporter Peter King was in Baltimore's war room on day three of the draft. And he detailed the Ravens' reaction when the Steelers took "their guy".
A middle-round receiver, Calvin Austin III of Memphis, a smurfy guy who runs a 4.32 40, was Baltimore’s target here. Guess who else runs a 4.32? Hollywood Brown. Though Austin’s a small guy, he was durable at Memphis, playing 49 games in four years and averaging 16.3 yards per catch. Baltimore’s not a deep-throwing team—thus Brown’s frustration, leading to his trade request, and the trade to Arizona—but the Ravens could use speed depth.
Austin wasn’t a must-have. But he was the next target. He was Baltimore’s guy.
Then, over the tinny speaker, news that the Steelers were picking wide receiver Calvin Austin, Memphis.
“Gotta be kidding me,” someone blurted out as the Ravens began to process it.
Baltimore ended up taking Coastal Carolina tight end Isaiah Likely with the No. 139 pick.
Austin was already a draft pick that should excite Pittsburgh fans. He could end up being the Steelers' version of former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith (a similarly undersized wide receiver who ended up being a star in the NFL for over a decade).
The fact that Pittsburgh took a player that one of their top AFC North rivals wanted to take should make this selection even more satisfying for Steelers fans.
Pittsburgh got a good player while also keeping that player away from the Ravens. It doesn't get much better than that if you're a Steelers fan.
Featured image via USA TODAY Sports
