49ers 7-round offense-only mock NFL Draft for 2022
By Peter Panacy
819. . Wide Receiver. Fighting Irish . Kevin Austin Jr.. 172. player
Round 5, Pick No. 172 Overall: 49ers select WR Kevin Austin Jr., Notre Dame
On the surface, San Francisco’s wide receiver corps looks mostly set entering 2022. The 49ers already boast an All-Pro in Deebo Samuel, while two-year veteran Brandon Aiyuk came on strong in the second half of 2021.
In addition, No. 3 wideout Jauan Jennings made a number of notable impacts his second year, while the Niners onboarded slot-type receiver and return specialist Ray-Ray McCloud in free agency.
However, there’s still room for some depth additions here, and it would certainly be of note if San Francisco could target another big-bodied option.
It took Notre Dame wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. a little while to catch on, but he did that for the Fighting Irish last season:
| Receiving | Rushing | Scrimmage | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| *2018 | Notre Dame | Ind | FR | WR | 4 | 5 | 90 | 18.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 90 | 18.0 | 0 | |
| *2020 | Notre Dame | ACC | JR | WR | 1 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 0 | |
| *2021 | Notre Dame | Ind | SR | WR | 12 | 48 | 888 | 18.5 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 49 | 896 | 18.3 | 7 |
| Career | Notre Dame | 54 | 996 | 18.4 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 55 | 1004 | 18.3 | 7 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference
Generated 3/30/2022.
At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, while also having ran a 4.43 40-yard time at his NFL Combine workouts, Austin looks the part of an elite-level receiver.
He’s raw, though, and it’ll take time for him to develop a full route tree while understanding the nuances of a complicated pro-style offense.
Considering Austin wouldn’t have to assume a prolific role right out of the gate, though, a team like the 49ers could afford to be patient with him.