Will Tavon Austin Bust Or Triumph In 2015?

It came as a minor shock to the NFL nation when the St. Louis Rams selected wide receiver Tavon Austin with the eighth pick in the 2013 NFL draft. The Rams were expecting a player who’s speed and ability would take the NFL by storm, but that has not been the case thus far for the 24-year-old Austin.

Austin showed his raw ability in small bursts in as a rookie in 2013, but couldn’t seem to find his rhythm for the majority of the season. Austin scored in just two games, but managed two touchdowns in each of them. In week two, Austin caught two touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons on six receptions but did not score again until week 11 against the Indianapolis Colts.

Austin finished the year with a measly 40 receptions for 418 yards and the four receiving touchdowns. After an injury to Sam Bradford in week seven, Austin was targeted just 22 times for his remaining six games of the

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season. With Bradford at quarterback, Austin was targeted 42 times in his first seven games.

Who’s fault was this? Was it an inability at the quarterback position to get the ball in Austin’s hands? Or was it a lack of coaching? Austin caught five or more passes in four of the seven games started by Bradford, and zero in his last six.

Heading into his sophomore year in the NFL, Austin was now without Bradford for an entire season. Instead, Austin would be catching balls from a group of quarterbacks that wouldn’t start on hardly any teams in the league.

So, how did he fair? Austin did not catch more than four balls in a single game all year. Austin caught two balls or less in 12 out of his 16 games played and scored no touchdowns via the pass. But, something that he didn’t do all that often in year one was run the ball.

In 2014, Austin carried the ball 36 times for 224 yards and two touchdowns. As a rookie, Austin carried the ball just nine times.  This is clear that the coaching staff made an effort to get the ball in his hands before a sub-par quarterback could screw it up, so props to them for that. But, 31 receptions in a 16-game season for a guy with his talent is laughable no matter who the quarterback is.

Why are the Rams not making a huge effort to get the ball in Austin’s hand at least 40 percent of the offensive snaps? An offensive player drafted in the top 10 of an NFL draft should produce more that what Austin is producing regardless of talent around him.

Heading into year three, Austin finally has a quarterback with a better than average track record. Nick Foles has come over from the Philadelphia Eagles with intent to get St. Louis into the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.

Foles is more than capable of throwing a lot of touchdown passes, and should be able to find Austin more times than not. Austin has had the benefit of the doubt with a lack of talent around him, but he won’t have any excuses in 2015. This is his year to bust or triumph.