NFL Draft 2013: Tavon Austin Will Be Breakout Star of Class

Tavon Austin had a tremendous career as a West Virginia Mountaineer. In four years at WVU, Austin reeled in 288 passes for 3,413 yards along with 29 touchdowns. 

He has drawn comparisons to NFL stars such as Percy Harvin and DeSean Jackson and will likely contribute for his team right away. 

He has the ability to make become a home-run hitter on any offense he’s in. On some plays in college, he was reminiscent of Gale Sayers in the sense of his “18 inches of daylight” saying. If Austin is allowed just a little bit of space, he can make things happen. 

Another reason why Austin will be such a valuable player on someone’s team next year is because of his return ability. Similar to Harvin, Austin is able to move behind the quarterback and make plays out of the backfield. 

The most recent Paul Hornung award winner tallied 2,910 all-purpose yards his senior season at WVU. While it is unlikely (although entirely possible) that he will make that kind of impact right away on whichever team drafts him. 

Austin could be a Wes Welker-esque player in the NFL. His quickness and ability to gain yards after the catch will do him much good at the next level. Austin is a smaller receiver at 5’9” 175 pounds, but is one of the most gifted athletes to come out of college in the past decade. 

He will be an explosive slot receiver at the next level and will be one of the next great possession receivers. His elite acceleration is unmatched by anyone in this year’s class and will certainly turn heads when the combine rolls around later this month. 

As of right now, most people have Austin mocked to go in the second half of the first round or early in the second. If he can impress at the combine and later at his pro day, then Austin may be able to shoot up the draft boards into the top half of the first round. 

While I doubt he would be a top ten pick, he could certainly slip into the top 15. No matter where Austin ends up next year, he will definitely be an impact player for one lucky team.