5 major storylines to monitor at Jaguars minicamp in 2022

4. WR Kevin Austin Jr. making an impression on the Jaguars staff

E.J. Perry isn’t the only undrafted rookie that can benefit from the extra work he’s getting at mandatory minicamp. Wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. faces an uphill battle to make the roster and he can’t afford to waste the opportunity to make an impression on the Jaguars’ coaching staff, especially when you consider how stacked the team is at wide receiver.

Keep in mind that several members of the last year’s practice squad showed up, so Austin will need to find a way to stand out. As of this writing, he might be the seventh or eighth receiver on the depth chart, which wouldn’t be good enough to make the team.

The Jaguars could have taken a wide receiver in the second or third round of the draft but opted to address other positions instead. Looking back, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as they had already signed Zay Jones and Christian Kirk in free agency. Moreover, Austin could turn out to be an undrafted gem.

Austin only had one productive season at Notre Dame, as his collegiate career was marred with injuries and off-field issues. However, he isn’t lacking the talent to play at the NFL level. At 6’2″, his 4.43 speed makes him a deep threat, as exemplified by his 18.4 yards-per-catch average for the Fighting Irish. He has a long way to go but having an outstanding minicamp won’t hurt his chances of ultimately being on the Jags’ 53-man roster in Week 1.