Tavon Austin, WR, WVU

[SilentJaguar]

Originally Posted by stlouisfan37

Cordarrelle Patterson is widely considered to have everything to be the next Julio Jones. But he is not a polished route runner and has trouble catching the ball.

To be fair, that's what everyone said about Julio when he was coming out too.

[kwilk103]

Originally Posted by thetedginnshow

I'm curious to know what people who have seen both of them think of Stedman Bailey in relation to Tavon.

bailey is underrated by draftniks imo

more productive than blackmon was (realize thats not everything)

runs great routes, great hands/body control, avg speed; will have a long, solid career as a #2; for small size, good blocker and good in the redzone

also good on ST; played on KO team and KR team; he wasnt a good returner, but if you go and watch tavon's long returns, they were all due in part to a key block or 2 by bailey

senior highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9i0ZNwUURQ

[JT Jag]

Would kind of like for the Jaguars to pick him up at #33 assuming they've taken care of defensive end at #2. The Jaguars offense needs a dynamic, Percy Harvin type of element to it, and Austin could be that guy.

[bigbuc]

It's crazy that if this kid was 3 inches taller he would be a top 10 pick

[pierce2walker]

Originally Posted by bigbuc

It's crazy that if this kid was 3 inches taller he would be a top 10 pick

This can be said about a lot of prospects.

[J-Mike88]

Originally Posted by pierce2walker

This can be said about a lot of prospects.

Russell Wilson.

[DiG]

Originally Posted by kwilk103

bailey is underrated by draftniks imo

more productive than blackmon was (realize thats not everything)

runs great routes, great hands/body control, avg speed; will have a long, solid career as a #2; for small size, good blocker and good in the redzone

also good on ST; played on KO team and KR team; he wasnt a good returner, but if you go and watch tavon's long returns, they were all due in part to a key block or 2 by bailey

senior highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9i0ZNwUURQ

Huge Stedman fan. I actually have him ranked just ahead of Tavon and that is not at all a knock on Tavon. I just think as a pro prospect that I prefer Stedman's ability as a true receiver. Like you said he has great hands, great route runner, and is definitely a playmaker in his own right. I haven't felt as strongly about a 2nd round prospect since Greg Jennings who was my favorite receiver in 06. Toss up this year between Stedman and Patton as my favorite but big fan of both.

[Iamcanadian]

Originally Posted by DiG

Huge Stedman fan. I actually have him ranked just ahead of Tavon and that is not at all a knock on Tavon. I just think as a pro prospect that I prefer Stedman's ability as a true receiver. Like you said he has great hands, great route runner, and is definitely a playmaker in his own right. I haven't felt as strongly about a 2nd round prospect since Greg Jennings who was my favorite receiver in 06. Toss up this year between Stedman and Patton as my favorite but big fan of both.

I doubt Bailey will see round 2, he's a round 3-5 type, nothing special but a decent prospect. He cannot touch Austin's bootstaps as a prospect.

[Brown Leader]

Originally Posted by DiG

Huge Stedman fan. I actually have him ranked just ahead of Tavon and that is not at all a knock on Tavon. I just think as a pro prospect that I prefer Stedman's ability as a true receiver. Like you said he has great hands, great route runner, and is definitely a playmaker in his own right. I haven't felt as strongly about a 2nd round prospect since Greg Jennings who was my favorite receiver in 06. Toss up this year between Stedman and Patton as my favorite but big fan of both.

Same here. I really thought he outplayed Claiborne in 11'. Not sure I'd have him over Austin but he's talented enough to go in the 2nd-though he could easily slip further.

[DiG]

Originally Posted by Iamcanadian

I doubt Bailey will see round 2, he's a round 3-5 type, nothing special but a decent prospect. He cannot touch Austin's bootstaps as a prospect.

Austin has the speed and clearly he is a fantastic playmaker but he doesn't have Baileys hands, physicality, or come close to Bailey's route running. That doesnt even begin to factor in Austins size concerns at the next level. He may not have run a blazing 40 but he absolutely is a guy that is quicker than his timed speed.

[thetedginnshow]

If you watch Bailey running the 40, it's clear that he didn't have the technique. Purely as a receiver, I think he is far more impressive than Tavon Austin.

[703SKINS202]

Who's Stedman Bailey?

[BallerT1215]

I just down see how Tavon Austin is a bust in the NFL - he has that playmaking ability and can line up in multiple different positions on offense.

Bailey is solid as well but I don't see anything special about him. No Offense to poster above me.

[thebow305]

Gotta know how to use this guy, but he's got so much talent I wouldn't be upset if the Phins took him at 12.

[JT Jag]

Originally Posted by DiG

Austin has the speed and clearly he is a fantastic playmaker but he doesn't have Baileys hands, physicality, or come close to Bailey's route running. That doesnt even begin to factor in Austins size concerns at the next level. He may not have run a blazing 40 but he absolutely is a guy that is quicker than his timed speed.

"Quicker than fast" is a term people throw around a lot, and it's the sort of thing I like to try to statistically verify if I can.

The three-cone drill and 20-yard short shuttle are both drills that were conducted at the combine that test a prospect's agility. It's not foolproof, but players that are "quicker than fast" often score higher relative on these drills than they do on the 40, while people with track speed that doesn't translate to the field might do badly in these drills.

Stedman Bailey ran a 4.52 official 40, tied for the 19th best time at the combine amongst the wide-receivers group. His three-cone was 6.81, good for 8th, and his short-shuttle was 4.09, tied for 10th.

These sorts of results are promising, and what you look for when you are trying to figure out if a player's unremarkable 40 time may have been a false negative. Bailey's speed and agility are not elite by any measurement, but they may not be pedestrian like his 40 time made him out to be. And if you like what you see on his tape, I'd say you probably shouldn't keep yourself from pulling the trigger because of a single combine drill.

[phlysac]

"Quicker-than-fast" and 3-Cone times make me think of one player...