West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin has turned into perhaps the most interesting man in the world this week -- or at least New York. In a draft lacking great top-shelf skill-position talent, Austin stands out.
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That's why it would be such a shame if Austin was drafted by the least interesting offense in the NFL. Austin told Jenny Vrentas of The Star-Ledger that New York Jets coach Rex Ryanshowed particular interest.
"(Ryan) said he had a plan for me. I talked to the offensive coordinator (Marty Mornhinweg), and they said they like players like me who can bring big-play ability there," Austin told the Star-Ledger on Thursday.
Ryan even joked to Austin they would possibly use him on defensive plays. With picks No. 9 and 13 in the first round, it's hard to imagine the Jets not investing in some offensive firepower. That could be Austin, Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert, or possibly West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith. (Of course, Austin could always get drafted by the Buffalo Bills before even getting to the Jets.)
"I met everybody, and they pretty much said they like me a lot, and hopefully we can make it happen," Austin said.
Then again, Austin knows that pre-draft talk usually isn't worth much.
"I'm just glad at the right time that my name's moving up," Austin said Wednesday. "But at the end of the day, it's about the GMs and the coaches. A lot of these analysts can say where I can go at, but sometimes nobody has a clue, so I'll just wait till tomorrow and see who picks my name and go from there."
Austin is right. Nobody has a clue where he'll go. We'd just be worried that the Jets wouldn't have a clue how best to use Austin in what looks like a season in which Ryan is set up for failure.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.