Keep your smartass comments about needing a quarterback to yourselves for this one, folks. I know some of y’all are whispering to yourselves, “actually, Stoney – they need a quarterback.” We’ve talked about Ryan Tannehill and the Tennessee Titans quarterback position ad nauseam over the last couple of weeks at this point, so I don’t want to go down that rabbit hole again. I would be surprised if anyone other than Tannehill was starting in 2022. No, this regime is going to try and make it work. When you look at this Titans offense, it’s clear that they need a few more weapons around him to spark a more dynamic passing game and round out the offense.
There’s one missing ingredient, though – a shifty, crafty, ankle-breaking speedster that can win one-on-one matchups and take the top off the defense. The Titans clearly have a type at wide receiver – they like their big physical wideouts, and they don’t seem to want to stray too far off from that. Why? I have no real idea. But, it’s certainly a style and type that is currently missing, and could allow this team to expand the playbook and be a little less predictable. That’s why I bring up wide receiver Calvin Austin III out of Memphis. When Jahan Dotson bowed out of the Senior Bowl, it opened the door for a number of wide receivers to step up and lay claim to that alpha dog spot among the wideouts. To me, Austin was that guy. The defensive backs voted him the American Team’s top wide receiver throughout the week at practice for good reason.
#Memphis WR Calvin Austin III stood out to a lot of people this week, and here’s one of the reasons why. The subtle head move and quick feet turn the defender around, who’s already in bad position, and Austin takes advantage. #SeniorBowl#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE pic.twitter.com/rUH1uirQto
— Josh Berg (@JoshBerg0611) February 4, 2022
I knew of Austin as an electric factory before we made the trip down to Mobile to cover the Senior Bowl last week. He is fast as hell, has some serious twitch in his game, and can create some separation out of nowhere. Two steps and you’re suddenly finding yourself beat. He’s a one-on-one winner, but I think what impressed me the most from watching him last week was something I hadn’t really noticed about him before. He has a tremendous ability to identify defensive backs out of position and exploit it. He’ll fake a guy further out of position and create terrible angles for defenders on the fly.
He’s also a versatile weapon that can be lined up outside, in the slot, behind in stacked formations, returning punts/kicks. You can use this guy in a number of ways – he’s just the type of player that the Titans could use to kick their offense into another gear. I can’t remember the last time they had a truly electric player in the return game.
Calvin Austin is unfair exhibit 2512 #seniorbowl pic.twitter.com/XgxNg8AABo
— Mike Spencer Hrynyshyn (@MikeH_Draft) February 4, 2022
That’s what we call hittin’ ’em with the okie doke right there. Now, as fas as reservations and criticisms go, I want to see some more of Austin against press man coverage because his reps at the Senior Bowl were largely wide open as the dude was almost always untouched at the line of scrimmage. In those 1:1 reps, the match-up usually favors the wide receiver, and I don’t imagine that NFL cornerbacks are going to routinely be out of position. But, he has the potential to be a lightning rod in the NFL, and with right offensive coordinator (or, passing game coordinator *cough cough* Tim Kelly *cough cough*), he can manufacture magic, which has been my motto for the Titans so far this offseason.
There were times in the game that he really could’ve made some incredible plays with better quarterback play. I don’t mean to knock the guys throwing the ball – just calling it like I saw it. One ball was thrown low, forcing him to the ground to catch it, but had it been in stride, he would’ve easily turned it up field and scored. He had a guy beat deep on another play, but that ball was thrown several yards behind him. Luckily, a defensive pass interference flag was tossed on the defensive back, making that play as good as a reception. Then, late in the game, he got as wide open as a receiver can get, but instead of throwing the ball out in front of the receiver with some zip on it so that he catches it in stride in the end zone, Bailey Zappe tossed a soft ball short and it was picked off. Those plays shouldn’t take away from Austin, and in my opinion, you can still watch them and just see what could’ve been. He was really close to having a BIG game on Saturday.
It’s hard for me to see this Titans regime making an investment in a receiver like Austin because of who Jon Robinson has drafted at the position as of late. But, Robinson has also shown a propensity to zig when the Titans fan base expects him to zag at times before. So, who knows? I don’t think it’ll happen…but maybe this whole thing is my attempt at jinxing it so that it does. I do tend to have a black cloud that follows me around, and every time I say something will happen, it doesn’t. With that in mind, let me be clear here – the Titans will NOT draft Calvin Austin III. *shrugs* There you go, Titans fans. I tried.
MORE SENIOR BOWL 2022 CONTENT
- Brian Robinson Jr. Absolutely POPPED Channing Tindall At Senior Bowl Practice Today
- Players Of Local Interest In The Senior Bowl
- PODCAST: The SoBros Power Hour on our trip down to Mobile
- PODCAST: The Unofficial Titans Podcast’s report from the Senior Bowl
- Reese’s peanut butter cupcake review
- A Round 1 Quarterback Selection Isn’t Out Of The Question For The Titans
- Sam Howell, Malik Willis, And Bailey Zappe To Play For Lions Squad In The Senior Bowl
- Senior Bowl: American Team Practice Day 3 Notes
- Senior Bowl: National Team Practice Day 3 Notes
- Takeaways From The 2022 Senior Bowl
- Titans Fans Should Be Paying Attention To The Senior Bowl
- Trevor Penning Is Destined To Headline WrestleMania
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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