Kevin

Austin

A fourth-year UDFA, Austin was a 2022 Combine workout warrior who entered 2025 with 11 career catches. He doubled that this year, but with just 13 total grabs, eight of which came the past two weeks as the Saints dealt with injury issues. Two months shy of his 26th birthday, there is no guarantee Austin is back on next summer’s 53-man roster.

Tipton is now on the wrong side of questionable, which is unfortunate. The Saints will be without WR Chris Olave, who is in the hospital, recovering from a blood clot in his lung. This likely leaves WRs Kevin Austin and Dante Pettis atop the depth chart against the Panthers.

Mason Tipton was out with a groin injury this week, freeing up some extra routes for Austin and Dante Pettis. Both players posted solid box scores, but Pettis fumbled the ball at the goal line, coughing up his chance to find the end zone. Austin cashed in late in the fourth quarter with a touchdown grab from 10 yards out. Austin will have some WR5 life in Week 18 if Tipton remains out.

Tipton missed the Saints’ last two practices. Players typically play through illnesses, but he appears to be truly questionable. Were he to sit out, it would leave the Saints with only WRs Chris Olave, Kevin Austin Jr. and Dante Pettis on the active roster. Olave should handle a significant target share, per usual.

There’s been little to no buzz about Austin (6'2"/200), who is often mocked in the sixth or seventh round. With numbers like this though, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him make a late rise in the Draft. His explosion is off the charts, with an 11' broad jump and a 39" vertical, and one of the best 10-yard splits in the 40 in history. Unlike other athletic freaks like D.K. Metcalf and Christian Watson though, Austin also had great agility scores, with a solid shuttle and an elite three-cone. He played very well for Notre Dame in his one year of sustained playing time, leading the team with 888 yards and seven scores. Most notably he had an 18.5 yards per reception, showing he’s an elite deep threat despite ND having a more conservative offense. Those measurables could make Austin the steal of the draft, especially if he indeed goes towards the end.

Austin Jr (6'2"/215) is an interesting prospect. Not having a great quarterback throughout his career with the Irish, he was still able to shine in the deep passing game. When Fennell noted the similarities to Peoples-Jones, it all came together. Both shined when running deep routes and are eerily similar in regards to their physical build. They both will likely be steals on day three, as Peoples-Jones was a 6th-round selection for the Browns.

Austin Jr (6'2/215) was the main vertical threat this year for the Irish and his testing numbers have shown why. His vertical and broad jump both finished above the 90th percentile and showed how good of an athlete he is. With a really solid finish to the week, Austin Jr could make himself a lot of money and solidify himself as a pick on day two.

The Irish will be losing their best receiver as Austin (6'2"/215) will not return for his final year. Austin led the team with 888 receiving yards and capped off his career with 60 receiving yards in the 37-35 loss to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl. He may not hear his name called in April unless he’s really impressive at the combine, but he should find a landing spot as a UDFA.

Austin did most of his damage on one catch, but it was a big one; a 70-yard touchdown connection with Jack Coan that doubled up Notre Dame’s lead to 17-3. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound wideout has his fifth touchdown of the season, and has become the top receiving wideout in this Fighting Irish passing attack. Austin will try and keep up the good work against the Cavaliers of Virginia next weekend.

Austin’s 16-yard third quarter touchdown reception from Drew Pyne, on in relief for an injured Jack Coan, was crucial, as it turned a 17-13 Notre Dame lead (courtesy of Chris Tyree’s 94-yard kick return touchdown earlier in the quarter, Notre Dame’s first kickoff return TD since 2016 against Army) into a 24-13 advantage. That was the first two-possession lead of the afternoon for either side. The Irish outscored the Badgers 31-0 to close the game. Austin inexplicably didn’t have a catch last week, but he’s caught four balls or more in the other three games.