Yes, there's no denying that Austin, a seventh-round pick who could've been higher had he not had so many injuries in college, has all the confidence in the world. It's on full display on the practice field and on game day.
But his 2020 season was a roller coaster, as he'd have trouble with receivers one week just to follow it up with a solid coverage day the next. Some still believe the Jets needed a veteran free agent corner to join this group.
Austin isn't listening to that noise.
“I ignore that honestly," he said. "I got my teammates, got my brothers with me. I don’t pay attention to outside noise. People are always going to say what they got to say. But at the end of the day, I’m between those white lines and I know what I’m about. Other people in the league that I’ve guarded know what I’m about as well, so I just let people do their talking.”
Saleh had some praise for Austin's work ethic since he's gotten to know the 6-foot-1, 198-pounder.
“Bless, he’s got a dog’s mentality from a football sense," he told reporters in Florham Park. "He’s absolutely fearless. He is very strong at the line of scrimmage. At least from the time I’ve gotten here, he doesn’t look completely bothered by the play before. He can move on and those attributes – the length, the strength, he’s fast enough. Just a matter of working on technique and understanding where you fit in the defense. He’s showing everything that we want.”
“That’s a tremendous compliment," Austin said. "When I hear that, the only thing I think is to make sure that doesn’t ever leave his mind."
Austin and Bryce Hall are the current starters on the Jets' depth chart, and Hall is another player who fits the mold of a high-draft talent who had injury force him down the big board. They have the makeup to be a great tandem, but it'll take some time and development, especially working in a new defense.
And that's the type of work Austin is willing to do to be great. He's seen how players like Jalen Ramsey has worked in a Saleh-esque scheme, and wants to emulate those great players at his position. So that's what's happening at training camp for him right now.
He isn't here to prove people wrong. He just wants to show everyone what he already knows he's capable of. And that means improving all areas of his game from top to bottom.
"Literally every single day I still feel like there’s so many areas for me to improve on," he said. "So it’s hard for me to look back into the past and see how far I’ve came because I still see things I need to work on and hone in on. So I guess I feel like that’s a constant – I don’t think that’s ever going to stop for me because I’m so hard on myself. I’m so tough on myself.”
