Tag: Kevin Austin Jr.

Watch: Trevor Lawrence’s first throwing session with Calvin Ridley

Trevor Lawrence, Calvin Ridley, Evan Engram, Jamal Agnew, and co. are already putting in work ahead of the 2023 season.

The 2023 NFL season is still five months away, but the Jacksonville Jaguars are wasting no time getting the preparation started.

A day after Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence revealed that he’d already had a throwing session with his new wide receiver, Calvin Ridley, video of that workout was released Wednesday night.

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The video, via NFL photographer Aaron Berkshire, also features Jaguars tight ends Evan Engram and Luke Farrell, as well as receivers Jamal Agnew, Tim Jones, and Kevin Austin Jr.

It also appears as though newly signed backup quarterback Nathan Rourke got in a few throws.

At the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reported that Jaguars coach Doug Pederson anticipated Lawrence linking up with Ridley on his own time in the offseason. Evidently, it didn’t take long for the 23-year-old quarterback to round up several of his playmakers.

The Jaguars’ offseason program officially begins on April 17 with organized team activities (OTAs) starting on May 22.

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Notre Dame offers a pair of stellar wide receiver recruits

These two would be nice additions to the program

If there is one area where the [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] football program has underperformed recently, it’s the wide receiver room. This past season the yardage leader, [autotag]Jayden Thomas[/autotag], caught 25 balls for 361 yards and three scores. Not exactly tearing up the box scores.

Tight end [autotag]Michael Mayer[/autotag] led the team in all receiving categories but he is now off to the NFL. Yes, he was the focus of the passing offense, but there was an obvious need for more pass-catching threats.

In 2021, the Irish passed for more than 1,000 yards than in 2022 but the group still struggled, with the exception of [autotag]Kevin Austin Jr.[/autotag]

How do the Irish fix this? By recruiting and developing players. The first part of the task is the recruitment and identifying prospects that fit what [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] is looking for. It looks like they found two players that fit the mold.

Each of them was offered a scholarship and find out below who they are and why they’re good fits with Notre Dame.

Notre Dame WR Kevin Austin named most likely UDFA to make Jaguars roster

The 33rd Team believes WR Kevin Austin Jr. is the most likely Jaguars’ UDFA to make the team.

The Jacksonville Jaguars initially agreed to terms with 15 undrafted free agents after the 2022 NFL Draft. Only one or two of them are likely to make the Jaguars’ final 53-man roster.

The 33rd Team previewed each team’s undrafted free agency haul recently to determine one player who has the best chance of sticking to their team’s final roster. For the Jags, it was Notre Dame receiver Kevin Austin, who has been a popular name among the fanbase.

The Jaguars made many key improvements all over their roster thanks to FA and the NFL draft, as their team looks very different from the roster they trotted out last season. Looking to add even more youth and depth, Jacksonville signed Notre Dame WR Kevin Austin Jr. Austin struggled with injuries throughout college but had a very productive final season before declaring for the draft. He tested as well as any other WR at the combine, showcasing his impressive H/W/S combination, and should be able to earn a roster spot in the WR room.

Austin is the safe and best choice to make the team. Jaguars general manager and head coach Doug Pederson did add a few receivers through free agency but did nothing to improve the room during the draft.

In his final season with the Fighting Irish, Austin recorded 48 catches for 488 yards for an average of 18.5 yards per reception to go along with seven touchdowns. Austin struggled mightily with injuries during his first two seasons but flashed his potential in 2021.

New Jags addition Kevin Austin receives a top end UDFA contract

Jags UDFA addition Kevin Austin received a nice contract from the Jags, which includes a guaranteed amount of over $200K.

The Jacksonville Jaguars signed 15 undrafted free agents following the conclusion of the 2022 NFL draft on Saturday. One player they signed is Notre Dame wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus reported his contract details on Sunday.

Austin’s undrafted free agent deal includes a $25,000 signing bonus and $230,000 in total guarantees. He said that his contract is one of the top ones out of all the undrafted free agents so far.

The Jaguars failed to draft a wideout in this year’s 2022 NFL draft and are content with all of the additions they made in free agency. However, the team could still use some receiving help behind starters Marvin Jones Jr., Christian Kirk, Laviska Shenault Jr., and Zay Jones, so Austin has a good chance to make the final roster.

Austin grabbed 54 passes for 996 yards and seven touchdowns in three seasons with the Fighting Irish. In his final season, he hauled in 48 catches for 888 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 18.5 yards per catch.

Notre Dame undrafted NFL rookie tracker

Who do you think has the best chance of making it?

Just because you don’t hear your name called during the NFL draft doesn’t mean your NFL aspirations are cooked. As soon as the draft ended, every team began signing numerous undrafted players as rookie free agents. For most, this will be the extent of their NFL careers as they won’t survive training camp or even OTAs. Still, the fact that a team want to take a flyer on you is a badge of honor you can treasure forever.

Notre Dame stood to have plenty such players this year as only Kyle Hamilton and Kyren Williams were drafted. Sure enough, five additional Irish players were picked up by NFL teams. We don’t know what future professional football holds for these young men, but they at least have a chance to make it at football’s highest level. Here are the former Irish players to be on the lookout for in the near future:

 

Ravens add plethora of talent in 7-round mock draft by ESPN

The Ravens added a plethora of talent in a seven-round mock draft by ESPN

The Baltimore Ravens will have plenty of tough decisions to make in a few weeks once draft weekend officially commences. The team has 10 draft picks including nine in the first four rounds, so they’ll have no shortage of opportunities to make the team better.

In a full seven-round 2022 mock draft, Jordan Reid of ESPN laid out each of the 262 picks slated to happen over the course of the draft’s three days. He selected a plethora of talented players for Baltimore, starting in the first round at pick No. 14, where he had them take edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II out of Florida State. Reid explained that his versatility as a pass rusher and a run defender would fit well on the Ravens’ defense.

“He is a ready-made run defender as well as a mature pass-rusher. Johnson is firm at the point of attack and has a determined mentality throughout games and a playing style that would fit well in Baltimore.”

At pick No. 45, Reid gave Baltimore cornerback depth in Tariq Woolen out of UTSA. He talked about how Woolen is as physically gifted of a cornerback as many have seen.

“The 6-foot-4 Woolen is one of the most physically gifted corners we’ve seen in the past decade. In need of depth on the perimeter, the Ravens could take a liking to him as a developmental player behind Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters and Iman Marshall.”

In the third round, Reid first took offensive tackle Rasheed Walker out of Penn State at pick No. 76 for Baltimore, discussing how he could be a nice developmental piece.

“After signing Morgan Moses, the Ravens still need developmental depth. Walker makes sense, as he has spurts of positive play, but his technique leaves him still far away from being ready to step in and play meaningful snap”

At pick No. 100, Reid has former Florida star defensive lineman Zach Carter being added to the Ravens, who he crowns a great run defender with starter potential if he can improve his pass rushing skills.

“A stout and consistent player at the point of attack, Carter is a 3-4 base end who is ready to play early as a run defender. If he becomes a more consistent pass-rusher, he could be a starter. He fits well in the Ravens’ odd defensive front.”

On Day 3 for Baltimore, in the fourth round Reid picks Cincinnati inside linebacker Darrian Beavers at No. 110, edge rusher Jesse Luketa out of Penn State at No. 119, wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. from Notre Dame at No. 128, edge rusher Sam Williams from USC at No. 139 and inside linebacker Damone Clark out of LSU at No. 141. In the sixth round, Reid rounded out the Ravens’ draft with guard Leticus Smith out of Virginia Tech.

Reid picked a balanced group of talented playmakers for Baltimore headlined by Johnson and Woolen, both of which could immediately fill in and take on big roles at positions of need. The other players taken in the mid/late rounds solidify multiple other areas of need, which is key as the team looks to build up their roster.

ESPN thinks the Notre Dame offense will be among the best from ‘22-‘24

The Irish have high level talent on the offensive side of the ball

It’s always fun to try and predict the future, especially when Notre Dame has just hired Marcus Freeman and there seems to be a massive change in the program. The former defensive coordinator should see his previous side of the ball continue to excel, but offensively there is still a big question mark.

When Brian Kelly left for LSU, he tried to bring Tommy Rees along with him, but the offensive coordinator chose to stay with his alma mater and Freeman. Although Notre Dame once again lost a senior quarterback for the second consecutive season, first Ian Book and now Jack Coan, ESPN is still high (insider) on the Irish’s future on that side of the ball.

Adam Rittenberg guessed at which offenses would be inside the top-25 from this season through 2024 and placed the Irish fifteenth overall. It was just one spot lower than last years ranking but he says “the overall outlook remains strong” despite the loss of Coan, running back Kyren Williams and wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. Rittenberg names Michael Mayer “arguably the nation’s best tight end” while keying in on the development of “more options at receiver.”

As for the offensive line, Rittenberg notes that the “best offenses have been elite up front, and the 2022 line projects very well under coach Harry Hiestand.” Naming the potential of the starting five immense, with Blake Fisher, Joe Alt and Rocco Spindler each having multiple years remaining in Blue and Gold.

I have long believed that the next step for the Irish program is to get to be an elite offensive team. The defense has always been there and if the offense can catch up, Marcus Freeman has a sleeping giant on his hands.

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Five Stars: The best and worst of Notre Dame’s win against FSU

There was some good and some bad tonight for Notre Dame

Football was finally back and although it started quick for the Irish, looked a bit unsettling, then the Irish took control of the game. Florida State didn’t give up, and continued to stay in the game, but the Irish had enough of a fight in them to battle all the way through overtime and return to South Bend with a 41-38. It’s always a crap shoot for openers, teams have the whole offseason to prepare, but the Irish fixed their issues and eventually gutted out tough victory in a difficult environment.

ESPN answers if Notre Dame’s offense will be top-10 caliber the next 3 years

Too low or too high?

The offseason is in full force, with the Notre Dame staff focusing on spring practice and recruiting, it’s been a great time for analysts to look ahead at what to expect for this upcoming season.

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Well, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg did us one better, he looked at the next three years (insider) looked at the next three years and tried to predict the best upcoming offenses in the country.

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How did the Irish fare in Rittenberg’s future estimation of offenses? Short answer, they’re one of the best, but not nearly as good as we’d all like them to be coming in ranked as the 14th best offense in the country.

With last season being offensive coordinator Tommy Rees’ first full year calling an offense, he’s established a solid base for Brian Kelly. During the shortened 2020 campaign, the Irish were just outside the top 25 in total offense, 26th, averaging 33.4 points-per-game, good for 30th nationally.

Rittenberg saw what we all did in the Irish’s final two contests, “that the program clearly needs more explosiveness on offense to win titles. The Irish must continue to build on their strengths — offensive line, tight end, running back — and get more from the perimeter game and ultimately quarterback.”

Hard to disagree with that assessment, quarterback in my estimation, is the biggest weakness of the offense at the current moment. Rittenberg views transfer Jack Coan as “a solid option for 2021, but Notre Dame needs incoming recruit Tyler Buchner to be as advertised to help elevate the unit for the future.”

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What about the guys the quarterbacks will ultimately throw to? Rittenberg sees that group as one that “must step up this fall.” The collective of Avery Davis, Kevin Austin Jr., and Braden Lenzy needs to help Coan. Also mentioned was the young duo of Jordan Johnson and Deion Colzie potentially being the “big -play spark Notre Dame desperately needs.”

Aside from that position, Rittenberg is high on the rest of the offense. Michael Meyer is mentioned as a Mackey Award candidate, the depth at tight end being impressive beyond the rising sophomore. He see’s the line returning “versatile veterans such as Jarrett Patterson and Josh Lugg,” along with Zeke Correll.

Although the ranking isn’t what many of us wanted to hear, the nice part about it is that the Irish have room to grow. Even with the so-called offensive deficiencies, the Irish have been to the College Football Playoff’s two of the last three years and are on the cusp of breaking through to join some elite company in the college football world.