The Tavon Austin comparison
Let’s be clear from the outset: Tavon Austin has been playing for Jeff Fisher since his rookie season. He’s also caught passes from Sam Bradford, Kellen Clemens, Austin Davis, Shaun Hill, Nick Foles, Case Keenum, Jared Goff and Sean Mannion. That’s a far cry from hauling in throws from Andrew Luck, and we’d be deceptive if we didn’t just say this from the beginning.
That said, Austin clearly hasn’t been the sort of player the Rams imagined he would be when selecting him at No. 8 overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. Hilton was a third round choice. Hill was a fifth rounder. The pressure and expectations for Austin have been high from the beginning given the investment, but instead he’s remained a Dexter McCluster type of weapon.
Last year was the first time Austin has received a committed number of targets to make him a top wide receiver. He had 102 targets last year as Jared Goff clearly tried to develop a strong rapport with him moving forward. In response, Austin hauled in a career low 55% of his targets, good for a middling stat line of 58 catches for 509 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. Much of this likely has much to do with Goff, as there’s only so much a pass catcher of any kind can do.
Austin can definitely deflect some of the blame for such a disappointing start to his career, but he has to own much of it. He’s a fine player, to be sure, with perhaps some solid years ahead of him. But any notions of Austin as a game-changing force disappeared a few years ago.
What is interesting, however, is that Hilton has continued to excel even as the Colts have missed the playoffs the last two seasons. And it’s not as if Tyreek Hill has a quarterback with a killer arm under center either. Alex Smith might be the hurdle from Hill and his 1,000 yard hope. It’s hard to say at this point.
Even more, Austin needed 33 career games to reach his 12th touchdown, the total that Hill had through his rookie campaign despite not being used for much of the first half of the season.
At this point, Hill seems too electric to become a middling Austin-type of player. When it comes to special teams, Hill is undoubtedly the next Devin Hester, an impact player who frightens the opposing team every time he touches the ball. Perhaps he can also make the leap to impact receiver and be the next DeSean Jackson or T.Y. Hilton.
Next: Greatest Chiefs All-Time
Given the Chiefs plans to install Patrick Mahomes in the near future and the ability of Andy Reid to create mismatches for his best offensive weapons, it’s a safer bet that Tyreek Hill will be following in T.Y. Hilton’s footsteps rather than being forgotten along the lines of Tavon Austin.