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The Jacksonville Jaguars are finishing up an incredibly important offseason. The Jaguars desperately needed to rebound from a disastrous 2021 season that was filled with drama and unfulfilled expectations.
General manager Trent Baalke started things off with a questionable free agency period that saw plenty of huge signings. It's fair to say that Jacksonville wasn't all that successful in that part of the offseason, making the draft all that much more important.
The Jaguars continued to do Jaguar things with a draft class that wasn't nearly as good as it should have been. Their crop of undrafted free agents wasn't all that inspiring either. However, there are a couple of players who should make the roster as UDFAs.
One name that stands out is wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. Austin, who played at Notre Dame, should be one of the few undrafted players to make the Jacksonville Jaguars' 2022 roster.
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Jaguars Undrafted Free Agent To Make 2022 NFL Roster
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![Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen looks on during a rookie minicamp at Miller Electric Center Saturday, May 10, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Liam-Coen-at-Jaguars-OTAs.jpg)
Austin is coming off the best season of football of his career. As a senior at Notre Dame, he posted 888 yards and seven touchdowns. The big-bodied receiver also averaged 18.5 yards per catch, showing off his potential as a big-play threat. Austin started off the season as a relative unknown, but he showed the ability to rapidly develop as a player. By the end of the year, he was one of the best receiving options for the Fighting Irish.
Realistically, Austin had the talent to be drafted by a team on Day 3. However, a couple of issues prevented teams from using a draft pick on him.
Austin has really only played one full season of college football. In 2019, Austin was suspended by Notre Dame for a violation of team rules. Injuries kept him off the field in 2020. His limited snap count was surely scary to most teams, but his upside is undeniable. Despite not playing until his junior year, Austin was able to adapt to the game and make a huge impact almost right away. That shows just how high his ceiling is. The Jaguars desperately need high-upside guys at a low cost, and Austin fits that bill exactly. Even if he struggles early on in training camp, Jacksonville should be willing to give him a shot.
Despite excessive spending at the position, the Jaguars are far from set at wide receiver. The massively overpaid Christian Kirk will take the lead, along with Marvin Jones Jr. and Zay Jones. The only proven player in that group is Jones, who is now 32 years old. Laviska Shenault Jr. is the only legitimate backup in the group, as Laquon Treadwell is an established first-round bust. Jamal Agnew is better served playing exclusively on special teams than filling an actual offensive role. It wouldn't be surprising to see Zay Jones get benched at some point in the season, so there should be plenty of snaps available at the position. While it's unlikely that Austin can get any of those snaps as a rookie, the Jaguars should keep him around to see if he can play some offense at the end of the season.
Austin's physical traits should allow him to play more than just wide receiver. He has the ideal body type to play gunner on every single coverage team, and he could even return kicks and punts. That versatility should make him even more appealing to a Jacksonville team that should be looking for upgrades in any way they can.
