NFL Draft Grades 2022: Re-grading the Pittsburgh Steelers draft one year later
By Tommy Jaggi
player. 55. . . . Calvin Austin III. 4. Wide Receiver
Steelers WR Calvin Austin III
I was really excited when Pittsburgh was able to land Calvin Austin III with a compensatory fourth-round pick last April. Austin was extremely productive at Memphis and I thought his 4.3 speed could certainly give this team a spark. Sadly, Austin's season was over before it ever began.
The speedster was injured fairly early in training camp and never even played so much as a preseason game for the Steelers during his rookie year. This was a big disappointment and a pretty substantial setback for his career path.
Instead of potentially proving his worth as a future slot receiver for Pittsburgh, the team is now going to have a hard time trusting his ability to stay healthy or what he might be able to contribute in the future. At just 5'7 3/4'' and 170 pounds, it's hard to get expectations too high for Austin in what he will do for this team in the future.
Tiny wide receivers are known to struggle with injury concerns. The fact that he was a late fourth-round pick means he won't be afforded as many opportunities as players drafted early. It's obviously not too late for Austin to give this team a spark in 2023, but his rookie season was completely wiped out because of injuries.