Steelers grab another WR, drafting Memphis' Calvin Austin III in 4th round

The Pittsburgh Steelers showed they were serious about upgrading the wide receiver position in the NFL Draft, taking two pass catchers in a span of three picks.

In the fourth round Saturday, the Steelers used the No. 138 overall selection to take speedy Memphis slot receiver Calvin Austin III. He joins Georgia receiver George Pickens, who was taken by the Steelers in the second round Friday night.

A redshirt senior, the 23-year-old Austin is a 5-foot-8, 170-pound receiver who is one of the fastest players in the draft. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.32 seconds at the NFL Combine, the fifth-fastest recorded time this year.

“You see the speed on tape,” new wide receivers coach Frisman Jackson said. “You see the speed with the ball in his hands and without the ball in his hands when he’s coming off the line of scrimmage. He’s fast.”

And tough.

As one of the shortest and lightest players in his draft class, Austin had to show he could shake off thundering hits coming across the middle.

“I’m the type where I like to show off myself,” Austin said. “If I do get hit hard, I’m the type that wants to get back up fast and go do it again. I’m never scared when I’m on the field. When I’m on the field, I’m the biggest receiver out there.”

In Austin, Jackson also saw a player who excelled in college as a deep outside threat albeit one who likely will play inside with the Steelers.

“When you’re a 5-8 guy, can you go up and attack the football when the ball is in the air or do you sit down and wait for it?” Jackson said. “He goes up and attacks the ball in the air. Those 50-50 balls or combat catches, he goes up and makes those plays.

“He plays like a guy that’s 6-1, 6-2.”

A former walk-on and member of the Memphis track team, Austin caught 74 passes for 1,149 yards and eight touchdowns in 12 games last season. He averaged 15.5 yards per catch.

Austin was rewarded with a scholarship in 2019 and he continued to run track until the season was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Austin was a first-team All-AAC pick in his final two collegiate seasons. In 2020, he ranked sixth among FBS receivers with 11 receiving touchdowns and was eighth with 1,053 yards on 62 catches. He also excelled as a punt returner for the Tigers.

The Steelers needed to address the wide receiver position in the draft after losing JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington and Ray-Ray McCloud in free agency. Austin and Pickens will join a room that includes Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool.

“He made plays in the slot and outside as perimeter wideout,” Jackson said. “We think he adds a different dimension to our offense.”

Running back Najee Harris announced the fourth-round pick from Mexico City, which is the Steelers’ international home market.