Big Blue Breakdown: Marvin Austin

Marvin Austin was drafted in the second round by the Giants, a player that many including myself though would sneak into the bottom of the first round dropped because of character concerns.

Marvin Austin is a player that Jerry Reese said “was top 15 on our big board” which would make him tremendous value in the second round based off of the Giants board.

Jerry Reese said this about Austin:

Q: What was your impression of him when you sat down with him?

A: I think he was very remorseful. I think he was disappointed that he didn’t get to play. He really wanted to play. He made a bad decision. He really wanted to play. We were disappointed that he let his teammates down and his school down, that he wasn’t there to help them play and win more games. So we sat down with him and we interviewed him; we talked with him. The coaches talked with him. This guy is going to come in here with a chip on his shoulder with something to prove. I hope he will take it out on the opponent. But obviously, when he gets here we will keep a close eye on him like some other players we have had in the past.

Now that we got into Jerry Reese’s thoughts about Austin’s character issues, let’s breakdown the player.

The Good

Austin is a physical freak. He is 6’2 309 pounds. He runs a 4.84 40 yard dash (faster than some linebackers like Akeem Ayers 4.84, and close to some cornerbacks and Tight Ends. Kendric Bruney ran a 4.75 40 yard dash. Luke Stocker ran a 4.79 40 yard dash). He also had a 1.64 10 yard dash split, a 30.5 inch vertical, good size hands at 10.25 inches, and had 38 bench press reps at the combine as well. Austin is very physically gifted.

Austin is supremely talented, he closes on the ball carriers quickly, is a punishing tackler and very disruptive. He’s excellent in pursuit and collapsing the pocket.

Austin is also going into a good situation. The Giants are one of the few teams in the league that have been able to effectively absorb character issue players because of the foundation of their team that’s rooted in quality leadership from their coach and Quarterback. They drafted Mario Manningham and Ahmahd Bradshaw who had character concerns as well (maybe not as big) and both players have become very productive with the Giants. Austin also will be going to a team that has an excellent pieces surrounding him on the defensive line.

The Bad

The character concerns have been discussed. He was suspended for the 2010 season, he also was suspended for two games in 2008, he also was benched for two games in 2009. On the field, Austin doesn’t always show up on the field and goes through long periods of being a non-factor in the game. His hustle as been questioned. He doesn’t have a ton of pass rush moves (I wouldn’t either if I was as big, but stronger and faster than the offensive linemen I was always facing), and he can play too high which he’ll have to work on to be very successful in the N.F.L.

The Grade

B+. If there is a Boom or Bust prospect the grade for me is almost automatically a C because it can go either way. But I’m going to give Austin and the Giants a B+ for three reasons. First, I think the second round is a good chance to take risks on players who are supremely talented. If the draft was based on Potential only Austin might have been a top 10 pick.

Second-Tom Coughlin is a coach who can handle immaturity and the Giants have done a good job of developing young players.

Three-that Giants defensive line is now absolutely ridiculous. On Running downs they could go Chris Canty at RDE, Joseph and Austin at DT, and Justin Tuck at LDE. On passing downs they could go Umeinyora, Tuck, Austin, JPP. That’s pretty impressive.

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