The Facts:
Following up on a
previous item. ... At 5-9, 174, Austin is a small package of gridiron playmaker. Some scouts have described him as a faster version of former Ram Az-Zahir Hakim. As for those who question his size, Austin said, “I haven’t missed a game in eight years, and that’s high school and in college. I’m going to try to come into the league and take care of my body. Get down when I need to get down, and step out of bounds when I need to.”
Reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
The price was steep for a team with multiple needs, but there was one offensive playmaker above all others in the 2013 draft and the Rams went up to get him Thursday night in Round 1 of the NFL draft. But as Post-Dispatch staffer Jim Thomas notes, Austin's production speaks for itself. Last season for West Virginia, Austin had 1,289 yards receiving, 643 yards rushing, and 978 yards on kickoff and punt returns. All told, his 2,910 yards from scrimmage last season set school and Big 12 Conference records with a total that ranks fourth all-time in major-college football. Austin had 17 total touchdowns in 2012 — and at least one TD on kickoff returns, punt returns, rushing, and receiving. At the NFL Scouting Combine in February, Austin was timed as low as 4.27 seconds in the 40 and his “official” time was a still-sizzling 4.34. All offseason, the mantra at Rams headquarters has been: “We have to get faster and more explosive.” Mission accomplished.
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