Los Angeles Rams Player Profile: Wide Receiver Tavon Austin

The Los Angeles Rams hope this year is when Tavon Austin finally has that big breakout season.

Tavon Austin was considered one of the top players at wide receiver from the 2013 NFL Draft and after the Los Angeles Rams used the eighth pick on the former West Virginia star, it’s safe to say the team is still waiting for him to reach his true NFL potential.

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During his senior season at West Virginia, Austin was nearly impossible to contain after catching 114 passes for 1,289 yards with 12 touchdowns. What’s even more impressive is Austin was just as dangerous on the ground after rushing for 643 yards and three touchdowns–making it easy to see why the Rams were willing to use a first round pick on him.

Still, there was always some hesitation towards Austin making it at the NFL level due to his height, but last season is a strong indication that 2016 could be his biggest year yet. Austin showed signs of his West Virginia days in 2015 after fining the end zone a combined 10 times (wideout, running back, and punt returner) and it was also good enough to have the team pick up his fifth-year option this offseason.

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With a better quarterback (hopefully Jared Goff) situation, the Rams’ offense should see plenty of improvement this year and Austin knows a big season in 2016 could lead to a hefty long-term deal. Austin was a first-round pick for a reason back in 2013 and with all of the hype surrounding this team’s return to Los Angeles, let’s hope he can display even better numbers in 2016 by taking his game to an even higher level.