Steelers WR still offended Ravens drafted a punter over him

Calvin Austin III has yet to actually experience a Pittsburgh Steelers-Baltimore Ravens rivalry game, but he’s already quite invested in sticking it to his AFC North counterparts.

It was but one year ago that Austin III believed he was Baltimore bound when the Ravens were on the clock with the No. 130 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Instead of grabbing the speedy receiver out of Memphis at a position of desperate need, the Ravens took Penn State punter Jordan Stout instead.

Surprised to see Austin III still on the board eight picks later, the Steelers snatched him up at pick No. 138. Now Austin III gets two chances every year to make the Ravens regret their decision.

“It’s personal,” Austin III said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “But that will all be settled out, Lord willing, this year and the times we see them. I just have it circled. Crazy. A punter, huh?”

Austin III missed the entire 2022 season after suffering a Lisfranc injury just before Pittsburgh’s preseason opener. The 24-year-old receiver had surgery and was placed on season-ending injured reserve.

Now fully healthy, Austin III is highly motivated to not only get back on the field but to personally rub his success in Baltimore’s face.

“Man, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been thinking about that,” Austin III said. “It’s wild. It’s one of those things where you know, obviously, I’m blessed and I’m just so 100% glad that I came here. I’d be lying if I said that hasn’t been on my mind since the draft, since that came out.”