Getty Steelers WR Calvin Austin III is still bothered that Jordan Stout was highest drafted punter in last year's draft at his expense.
In recent years, the rivalry that the Baltimore Ravens have with the two-time defending AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals has overtaken their storied feud with the Pittsburgh Steelers as the most important when it comes to deciding who wins the division.
Every now and then a player or coach from either team has a sizzling soundbite or quote that stoaks or tries to reignite the flame. Earlier this week, that player was Steelers second-year wide receiver Calvin Austin III who told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he is still bothered by the fact that the Ravens opted to prioritize taking a punter over him in the 2022 NFL Draft.
“Man, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been thinking about that,” Austin said during minicamp earlier this month. “It’s wild. It’s one of those things where you know, obviously, I’m blessed and I’m just so 100% glad that I came here. I’d be lying if I said that hasn’t been on my mind since the draft, since that came out.
NBC’s Peter King was granted access to the Ravens’ draft room on the third day of the draft and reported that they were interested in taking the former Memphis standout with one of their six total picks in the fourth round.
They had picked four prospects at different positions before the Steelers swooped in and took him at No. 138 overall which was just one pick before they were on the clock for the fifth time in that round.
What seems to have been and still is bothering Austin III the most is not the fact that the Ravens took other prospects ahead of him but that they opted to take former Penn State punter Jordan Stout at No. 130 overall in particular.
A punter, huh?” he said. “It’s personal. But that will all be settled out, lord willing, this year and the times we see them. I just have it circled. Crazy.”
Austin III’s mark of 4.32 in the 40-yard dash was the fifth fastest at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine per Pro Football Reference and will get at least two cracks at making the Ravens pay with his blistering speed in 2023.
The first matchup between the two teams will be in Week 5 on October 8, 2023, in Pittsburgh and the second will be in Week 18 in early January of 2024 in Baltimore with a date and time yet to be determined. Neither surprisingly being on primetime which is a far cry from when their annual grudge matches were once a main attraction for the national spotlight.
Ravens Wound Up Better Off in the End
The undersized speedster wound up not playing a single snap in a regular or even preseason game as a rookie after suffering a foot injury that knocked him out of commission for the entire 2022 season.
Meanwhile, Stout filled in well nicely for retired long-time Ravens punter Sam Koch went on to appear and start in every game and have a solid rookie campaign. He averaged 45.9 yards per punt with a long of 69, had 26 downed inside the opposing 20-yard line, and was an excellent holder for six-time Pro Bowl and future Hall of Fame kicker Justin Tucker.
The Jordan Stout effect.
It is what it is. #RavensFlock
After missing out on being able to land Austin III, the Ravens got as good a consolation prize as they could’ve asked for or imagined when they pivoted and selected former Coastal Carolina tight end Isaiah Likely at No. 139 overall. He dominated in the preseason and flashed tremendous talent and explosive playmaking ability as a rookie in the regular season.
Even though he finished the year with just 373 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 36 catches, Likely is expected to take a significant leap in production and involvement in the offense playing behind and alongside three-time Pro Bowler Mark Andrews.
Pundit Predicts Who Will Emerge as Ravens’ No. 1 WR
The team overhauled almost their entire wide receiver depth chart during the offseason by giving it a much-needed facelift in the form of several new additions that are either proven or promising. They signed veterans Nelson Agholor, Odell Beckham Jr, and Laquan Treadwell in free agency and added Zay Flowers in the 2023 NFL Draft.
As intriguing as the four new first-round talents they added at the position are, Baltimore Beatdown’s Stephen Bopst believes that the former first-rounder they already had on the roster is the most realistic choice to wind up being Jackson’s No.1 wideout.
“When healthy, (Rashod) Bateman has displayed the potential to become an outstanding wide receiver in the league,” Bopst wrote. “He possesses a formidable blend of physicality and technical ability, although his injury woes have impeded his progress.”
The No. 27 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Minnesota had his rookie debut delayed by five games after undergoing surgery for his injured groin. His second season was cut short after six games because he suffered a mid-foot sprain that eventually developed into a Lisfranc injury and required surgery to repair.
In addition to being a savvy and technically sound route runner that can separate and stop on a dime, Bateman also possesses game-breaking speed. It was made evident on both of his touchdown receptions and by his 19 yards per catch in 2022 before he went down according to PFR.
HOLY BATMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tune in on CBS!!
Even though Bateman didn’t participate in full team drills during the Organized Team Activities that he was present for and he had to sit out mandatory minicamp due to a cortisone injection he received in his previously injured foot, Bopst believes that the third-year pro still has an advantage over some of the new wideouts that joined the team this offseason.
“Bateman has the advantage of having already played alongside Lamar Jackson for the past two seasons, giving him more rapport with the star quarterback,” he wrote. “Under the guidance of offensive coordinator Todd Monken, he is poised to receive an increased number of targets and improve his stats.”
While Stephen Bopst acknowledges that “the potential for Flowers to emerge as Jackson’s go-to option and of Beckham recapturing his electrifying 2021 playoff form exists,” he still believes that “it is safe to assume that Bateman will overcome his injury setbacks and reclaim the mantle as the Ravens’ first great wide receiver since the likes of Anquan Boldin and Steve Smith Sr.”