Tavon Austin

[Rams and Gators]

Loved the pick at the time, watching him play in college I was having dreams over what we could do with a dynamic playmaker like him.

But knowing then what we know now do we still draft him? It seems he was drafted for an opposite offence from which we intend to run, the offence which we attempted early last season but abandoned, a Fisher WR seems to be more in the Quick/Britt mold. Add to that we aren't actually capable of effectively blocking a screen play.

It just feels like he could be a phenom on a Chip Kelly style O, whereas on the team we want to be he seems a waste.

Given the choice would we trade him for a Zach Martin or another mid first round 2014 pick or is talent talent?

That isn't as eloquent as I'd like to put it but it's just something I've been wondering.

 

[A55VA6]

It's not the greatest fit but Tavon is a playmaker, a difference maker. You can design screens, reverses, picks, etc. to get him into open space to use his speed and elusiveness. I think he's still learning how to be a traditional NFL WR, honestly. He played alot in the backfield at WVU and not a huge amount of flat out WR.

He got like 6 TD's his rookie season and got 1 or 2 TD's called back, even though he missed a few games. He's a big play / touchdown machine. He showed us what he can do against the Colts by just taking over the game. He can make those dudes his bitch any given sunday. I have a feeling he's gonna be one hell of a player and I wouldn't change a thing about drafting him.

 

[BeerOClock]

I was definitely in the minority, but I was never in favor of trading up for Austin in the first place.

I thought before the 2013 draft and still feel that Corderelle Patterson would have been a better value by trading down in the first (instead of trading up for Austin) and a better fit for the Rams.

I love the way Austin can break a game wide open at the drop of the hat and I'm very glad he's on the Rams. But Patterson can do the same thing, has the potential to be a true #1, is much more durable, and is more of a Schottenheimer/Fisher type player. With Givens, Britt, Cook, Quick and Patterson, the ability for both speed and physical mismatch would be tremendous.

Like I said, I was and still am in the minority.

 

[jrry32]

Hell no, we should not trade Tavon. Put him on the outside. Establish him as a deep threat and a YAC threat and then get creative.

 

[Dieter the Brock]

Hell no, we should not trade Tavon. Put him on the outside. Establish him as a deep threat and a YAC threat and then get creative.

if there was a way to like this post more I would x 1000

 

[jrry32]

I was definitely in the minority, but I was never in favor of trading up for Austin in the first place.

I thought before the draft and still feel that Corderelle Patterson would have been a better value by trading down in the first (instead of trading up for Austin) and a better fit for the Rams.

I love the way Austin can break a game wide open at the drop of the hat and I'm very glad he's on the Rams. But Patterson can do the same thing, has the potential to be a true #1, is much more durable, and is more of a Schottenheimer/Fisher type player. With Givens, Britt, Cook, Quick and Patterson, the ability for both speed and physical mismatch would be tremendous.

Like I said, I was and still am in the minority.

What? Prior to being drafted, Austin had never missed a practice much less a game in his career.

Patterson has plenty of talent but he doesn't cut like Austin. Austin's cutting ability can make him an amazing route runner once he gets it down.

 

[SierraRam]

I want to love the pick more. So far though, I still think about the options we had at the time. His playmaking is undeniable, and I know he didn't have an injury history before last year... but he does now. Our guy is tiny, and a high-speed collision with a Donte Hitner wanna-be is inevitable. HOPEFULLY, Tavon is as tough as advertised and I eat me words for years to come.

 

[BeerOClock]

What? Prior to being drafted, Austin had never missed a practice much less a game in his career.

Patterson has plenty of talent but he doesn't cut like Austin. Austin's cutting ability can make him an amazing route runner once he gets it down.

So??? Neither had Danny Amendola. It doesn't take a nuclear physicist to determine his size and built makes him more susceptible to injury than someone built like Anquan Boldin. The argument was--he's so quick that he can avoid hard hits. Unfortunately, it doesn't factor in the fact that the NFL is bigger and much faster; there's much less open space and much less ability to use your quickness to avoid hits. You're on very weak ground defending Austin's durability at this point. So far, my assessment is the more accurate.

Nobody cuts like Austin--maybe Percy Harvin. But Patterson is better at contesting DBs, much taller, infinitely stronger in both his legs and upper body, just as dangerous in the open field (and more likely to get into the open field), has stronger hands, jumps much higher and is almost as fast. These are as valuable assets for a receiver, many coaches will say more valuable, than the difference between superlative cutting and extremely good cutting abilities.

Don't get me wrong. I really like Austin and what he brings to the table. Given the choice between Austin at #8 and Patterson at #29:

I'll clearly take Patterson.

 

[Memphis Ram]

Love the player. Hated the trade up for his services. But, now that he's with the team, I think they should just be more creative in getting him the football in space. And he can still be a big part of the running game as a decoy on fake end arounds/sweeps as defenses will pay more attention to him than any other on the roster they could use.

I'd still even give him a few carries.

 

[FRO]

I think people's veiw of Tavon would be different had a few penalties costing him TDs hadn't occurred.

 

[Rams Until I Die]

Just that game against the Colts makes him worth it. He is only going to get better and better for us!

 

[Mojo Ram]

Love the player. Hated the trade up for his services. But, now that he's with the team, I think they should just be more creative in getting him the football in space. And he can still be a big part of the running game as a decoy on fake end arounds/sweeps as defenses will pay more attention to him than any other on the roster they could use.

I'd still even give him a few carries.

In your opinion where would he have been eventually drafted had we not made the trade?

 

[CGI_Ram]

Hmm... Tavon was a rookie... and like most EVERY rookie WR he had some struggles... But he also showed that big play ability.

If you view last season as a disappointment; you expected too much.

Dude is gonna blow up with more experience! Bam!

 

[Merlin]

Hell no, we should not trade Tavon. Put him on the outside. Establish him as a deep threat and a YAC threat and then get creative.

He was much better on the outside than many realize. Rams have every reason to expect big impact from him this season.

 

[Mojo Ram]

SF would love to have a Tavon on their offense. They drafted Ellington. Seattle has Harvin(although he'll certainly be injured again). AZ signed Ted Ginn and drafted John Brown.

As long as Tavon can stay durable he's better than all those guys.

 

[BeerOClock]

In your opinion where would he have been eventually drafted had we not made the trade?

You bring up a good point, Mojo. Rumor has it, the Jets wanted him at #9 and the Rams had to trade up to get him (not sure if that "rumor" has ever been confirmed).

The question is value. The Rams wanted Greg Robinson but, say for discussion, the Rams found they had to trade up to #1 to get him. Would they have done this?

Probably not. They most likely would have gone with an entirely different direction and stayed at #2 (or even traded down for Matthews or Martin).

In 2013, if Austin did go to the Jets at #10, I would have taken an entirely different direction and traded down for Patterson.

But, that's me. I've thought higher of Patterson as a prospect in the 2013 draft than most.

 

[mr.stlouis]

I'd make the trade, again. Defenses knew where he was every time he was on the field. Patterson doesn't have the same effect. Fisher held him back so he could learn the game. This year Fisher already stated he'll have a bigger role. Sure I wish he coulda had bigger numbers, but his rookie year will be seen as a mere stepping stone to the player he will become. With our stout running game, defenses will have to commit to stopping the run or they'll be dead out of the gate. Whether or not Schotty can find that perfect balance on how to run this offense is another story. I beleive.

 

[SaneRamsFan]

I can't wait for that first Whiner or Seapuke victory where Tavon is the difference maker. Than we can talk about whether or not we like him better than a guard.

 

[BeerOClock]

Patterson doesn't have the same effect.

Sure he does. Are you kidding me?

Patterson, like Austin, is a TD waiting to happen. The only difference is you can't jam Patterson at the line nearly as easy as Austin. He's every much the open field threat as Austin. He went to the Pro Bowl and named All-Pro based on his ability to break away in the open field.

 

[RamFan503]

What? Prior to being drafted, Austin had never missed a practice much less a game in his career.

Patterson has plenty of talent but he doesn't cut like Austin. Austin's cutting ability can make him an amazing route runner once he gets it down.

That's what I was thinking.

Also, Tavon can pretty regularly give you a shorter field of play. Punters will either have to angle away from him producing more short punts or kick it to him and have him pick up extra yards with the ball in his hands. Even though we are not going to be a quick score type offense, he gives us that potential on any play. Pretty hard to stack the box with Tavon lurking around. I also think we will see Quick get more involved and possibly Britt as well. I'm thinking we will have a pretty balanced attack and that should free up Shotty to call some plays just for TA.

I liked the pick then and I like it now. The kid had over 1200 APY and 6 TDs in 13 games as a rookie and had a couple big plays taken away. I look for him to better that this season.