Calvin Austin III is used to being the smallest guy in the room. But the Steelers’ rookie wide receiver and third-round pick feels he has the mentality, and perhaps more importantly, the speed, to overcome his diminutive stature.
“I’ve always been one of the smallest,” Austin III said Friday at rookie minicamp. “But I’ve always been one of the strongest per-pound people. That size factor, it’s never been anything for me.”
Austin III is definitely small. At the combine, he checked in at under 5-foot-8 and 173 pounds. Up close, he seems light. But he seems fast. Austin III ran a 4.32 40-yard dash at the combine, and his other measurables were among the very best for the wide receivers.
Austin III believes he has an unmeasurable attribute to add to the list.
“My heart,” he said. “When I get out there, it’s never been a thing where I’m like ‘these guy are big.’ I’ve never felt that way. I’m a dog. When I’m on the field, I have no fear.”
Dealing with skepticism over his size is nothing new to Austin III. Out of Harding Academy in Memphis, he only visited a couple of Ivy League schools and became familiar with The University of Memphis while attending the school’s football camps as a kid. But no offer came from the Tigers, and Austin III decided to stay home and join the team as a walk-on, while also continuing to run track.
He knows that his size is what held coaches back.
“I would go to camps and have a great showing, would run a fast 40 (yard dash),” he said. “But they’d always be like, ‘it’s your size, you’ve got to get bigger.’ I wrote down in my phone, in my notes, all the things coaches have said to me in the past about that.”
When his redshirt sophomore season rolled around, Austin III was awarded a scholarship. In his final two seasons, he caught 137 passes for 2,202 yards and 19 touchdowns and was first-team All-AAC twice.
He was also able to have some big games against top-tier opponents, like his seven-catch, 121-yard game in 20202 against a Cincinnati team that sported one of college football’s most talented secondaries. He has nine catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns against Mississippi State, an SEC team.
Now he hopes to translate that collegiate success to the NFL, where he will likely get an opportunity to fill a variety of roles. WIth his elite speed, special teams will likely be a must for the rookie, and a role as a punt or kick returner could be on the table.
How he fits in Matt Canada’s offense is another question. Austin III played on the outside quite a bit at Memphis, but has more of the frame as a traditional slot receiver. While he’s not unfamiliar to lining up all over the field, a more permanent role in the slot will require his blocking to improve.
If he goes to the outside, he’ll have to be pretty special. The Steelers have Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, as well as second-round pick George Pickens, who Austin III is looking forward to continuing to work with.
“He’s a funny guy, but you can tell that he’s a competitor,” Austin III said of Pickens. “I can tell that we have that in common. When we get on the field, we want to make plays. I’m very excited for the future for us.”
He’s also gotten an early taste of the quarterback who may get him the football this season in Steelers’ first-round pick Kenny Pickett.
“That boy can throw it,” Austin III said of Pickett. “I always knew he could throw it from the Senior Bowl. Catching balls from him feels comfortable. It feels great.”
Austin III, a second-team All-American in track as a member of Memphis’ 4x100 meter relay team, will have some metaphorical hurdles to overcome at the next level.
While it’s easy to point to players like Tyreek Hill as small receivers who made a big splash in the NFL, there are far, far more undersized receivers that failed to make it. Plus, Austin III won’t have a Patrick Mahomes caliber quarterback throwing him the ball — at least not right away — or Andy Reid calling the plays.
His new head coach, however, feels that Austin III has that one, dynamic attribute that could help him stand out from the rest.
“Speed. Speed,” Mike Tomlin said. “When you’re small, you better be fast in this game. That’s the reality of it. It’s nothing new. It’s not earth shattering or groundbreaking.
“That’s his distinguishing trade, and it’s got to show up in all aspects of his play.”