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Report: Titans hosted Memphis WR Calvin Austin III on a Top 30 Visit

NFL Combine Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images

According to Tony Pauline of The Pro Football Network, The Tennessee Titans hosted Memphis wide receiver Calvin Austin III on a Top 30 pre-draft visit.

The Titans have shown interest in several receiver prospects throughout the pre-draft process, and we can now officially add Austin to the list. Tennessee previously hosted Western Michigan’s Skyy Moore and Arkansas’ Treylon Burks on in-person visits to their facilities.

The Titans have a clear need at receiver. A.J. Brown is a dominant No. 1 boundary receiver, and the acquisition of Robert Woods should give them more production than they received from Julio Jones last season. However it’s fair to view the Jones-Woods swap as a like-for-like replacement, and Woods continues to recover from a torn ACL that ended his season prematurely. Tennessee had first-hand exposure to how limited Taylor Lewan and Bud Dupree were throughout 2021 in the their first seasons back from ACL surgery. Woods may be similarly limited throughout September, and even October, if things go wrong. Furthermore, they didn’t have enough depth at receiver last season to sustain the unfortunate injuries to their receivers. We saw too much Nick Westbrook, Chester Rogers, Marcus Johnson, and Dez Fitzpatrick at times. It means the Titans should draft a receiver fairly early next weekend in hopes of properly filling out the position, perhaps as early as the first round. Should they decide to go in a different direction with their first selection, Austin would make a lot of sense in the third round.

The 5-foot-8, 178 pound Memphis native had an unbelievable NFL Scouting Combine in every aspect. Austin ran an ELITE 40 yard dash time of 4.32 seconds. His three-cone result was also beyond incredible at 6.65 seconds. Austin also leaped an unbelievable 39 inch vertical, and 135 inch broad jump. Essentially, Austin’s supreme athletic profile helps him overcome his size deficiencies.

It may be wishful to hope Austin survives until 90th overall. It’s a deep receiver class, so you never know. The Titans could always trade back/up into Austin’s more appropriate range, which is likely somewhere between 60th and 80th overall.

Stay tuned to MCM for all updates.