College football’s most underrated defensive backs for 2022

3. Alex Austin, Oregon State

Representing the West Coast is Alex Austin, a product of the famous Long Beach Poly High School which has produced the most NFL players in the history of the sport.

Austin was not a blue-chip recruit coming out of this powerhouse program, as Oregon State was his lone Power Five offer on signing day. He is the definition of a late bloomer, as he possessed ideal height for the cornerback position at 6-1 but lacked sufficient weight to attract more schools.

He redshirted the 2019 season after appearing in three games, started five games in 2020, and started all 13 games in 2021. Austin was rewarded with an All Pac-12 selection for his play in 2021, as he recorded: 47 tackles, two interceptions, and nine pass breakups. Beaver fans should expect him to continue his solid play at cornerback and build upon the stellar 2021 season he displayed.

Austin is a downhill football player who utilizes his size and length to impact the run game as well as the pass game. In the run game, he showcases the willingness to tackle and fit up ball carriers with no hesitation. It is common knowledge that cornerbacks are often the most unreliable tacklers on the field due to the priority of guarding wide receivers and usually being the smallest football players on the field. One can equate this thought to a point guard trying to rebound the ball against a center. Fortunately, this is not a problem for Austin as he seeks out contact with the mentality of a safety.

In the pass game, he understands how to “separate the ball from the man.” In other words, Austin fights for the ball in the air and competes until the play is finished. He is at his best when he can use his pads to create havoc for defenders by aligning off the line of scrimmage with full vision of the field.

A concern with tall cornerbacks can be the fluidity of their hips and lateral quickness, as they tend to be stiffer hipped than shorter cornerbacks. Austin displays fluid hips and good feet but struggles with his technique in press coverage at times. He repeatedly gets caught in trail positions (running behind the wide receiver) vs. wide receivers on vertical releases, resulting in his inability to play the ball at the top of the route and resulting in fighting to break the pass up.

If he can continue to hone his press technique in man coverage by staying square, mirroring the wide receiver’s movements, and using his size to dictate the release, he will have more opportunities for ball production.

Look for Austin to be a key cog in the Beaver defense and push for All-Pac-12 first-team consideration.