Former Notre Dame wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. spent his entire rookie season on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad. He’s making it difficult for the team to keep him off the active roster this time around.
“I see Kevin Austin a little bit, flashing and doing some really good things,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson told reporters over the weekend.
Pederson was complimentary of a few other young receivers like Tim Jones, Elijah Cooks, and Jacob Harris, but he said that Austin has stood out most.
“I think Kevin has been the one that has done a really nice job embracing that second year, coming in and understanding what we’re asking him to do in his role. Again, it’s a big training camp for him and many of those guys.”
Austin, 23, missed the majority of his collegiate career due mostly to injuries, but finally made a significant impact in 2021 when he caught 48 passes for 888 yards and seven touchdowns. After going undrafted in the 2022 NFL draft, Austin joined the Jaguars as a rookie free agent, but finished his first preseason with only one reception for 21 yards.
“Just night and day progression from him,” Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said of Austin earlier in camp. “He looks like a totally different player. He’s comfortable, he’s letting loose and getting out of his shell a little bit. He has so much athletic ability, he’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast, he has great hands, he’s able to track the ball.
“This camp compared to last camp, he’s just confident in what he’s doing. He’s playing fast, he’s not thinking, and as a rookie, that can be hard. I think now he’s really having some confidence in what’s he’s doing and I’m really excited to see what he does throughout camp and in the preseason because he can be a big-time playmaker.”
In the first depth chart of the year, Austin is listed with the second-team receivers behind the trio of Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, and Zay Jones.
