NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah has predicted that No. 8 overall draft pick Tavon Austin "easily could surpass" 70 receptions as a rookie.
After visiting St. Louis Rams training camp over the weekend, NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock is even more bullish on Austin's prospects.
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"I watched all of his tape, I saw him in person at his pro day. He might be the most explosive player I've ever seen in my life, from a static start to full speed," Mayock said on Monday's "Inside Training Camp Live." "He's almost impossible to cover in short spaces. So the ways you can use this are basically only constrained by the imagination of your offensive coordinator."
Mayock noted that Austin joined tight end Jared Cook as the most targeted receivers in weekend practices.
Although Austin says his heart has always been at running back, he recently acknowledged that slot receiver has been his home in training camp.
Could Austin still be in line for a couple of carries per game, similar to Percy Harvin's role with the Vikings?
"You're going to have to come out and watch and see," coach Jeff Fisher said Saturday. "He is versatile. ... Obviously, there's things that everybody does across the league in camp that they don't show until the regular season."
Regardless of whether he lines up in the backfield, in the slot, outside or at H-back, Austin's role will be to create plays in space. How the Rams exploit his talents will be "one of the really interesting questions around the league," Mayock added, "because he catches everything, he's tough, he's smart, and I think he's a guy that Sam Bradford already trusts."
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