A tall, physical, wide receiver, Texas A&M’s Jhamon Ausbon returned to the Aggies to further enhance his NFL Draft stock following a breakout junior season. However, after subsequently opting out of the 2020 college football season, how does his 2021 NFL Draft stock look with just weeks to go until the annual selection event?
Jhamon Ausbon NFL Draft Profile
- Position: Wide Receiver
- School: Texas A&M
- Current Year: Senior
- Height: 6’2 3/8″
- Weight: 217 pounds
Tony Pauline’s Jhamon Ausbon Scouting Profile
Positives: Nice-sized receiver who plays big football and makes a lot of difficult receptions. Consistently uses his frame to shield away defenders, displays focus as well as concentration, and looks the ball into his hands. Makes the difficult reception with defenders draped on his back.
A sturdy receiver who nicely adjusts to the errant throw and possesses strong hands. Follows the quarterback across the field to make himself an available target, lays out or extends to come away with the difficult grab, and possesses eye/hand coordination.
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Negatives: Lacks quickness and play speed. Struggles to separate. Showed inconsistency at Texas A&M.
Analysis: Ausbon is a large possession receiver with reliable hands who consistently wins out for the contested throw. The lack of play speed and quickness will make it difficult for him to separate at the next level, but I believe Ausbon will be very effective in a timing offense.
Jhamon Ausbon Player Profile
The size and physicality that Jhamon Ausbon brings to the 2021 NFL Draft has been a hallmark of his game since high school. The nomadic wide receiver played for three schools between his sophomore and senior years.
A Texas native, he began his career at Houston Episcopal as a sophomore. The following year, he transferred to Houston St. Thomas as a junior. Wherever he was playing he impressed with his ability to simply run past or through opposing defensive backs with a combination of size and speed.
The four-star recruit garnered attention following his junior year. The 14th ranked player in Texas, and the 10th best wide receiver in the 2017 class, Ausbon held offers from across the nation. Just prior to a senior season that saw him suit up at a third different school, he committed to LSU. While helping IMG Academy to an 11-0 record with 339 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns, however, he flipped his commitment.
Following a visit to Texas A&M in October 2016, Jhamon Ausbon announced his commitment to the Aggies in November. The LSU coaching staff had changed with the dismissal of Les Miles. Furthermore, the offer from Texas A&M gave him the opportunity to return home.
Jhamon Ausbon’s college football career at Texas A&M
Choosing Texas A&M also allowed Jhamon Ausbon to travel the path to the NFL Draft with his high school quarterback and roommate, Kellen Mond. The duo arrived in College Station in 2017, and they would each make an individual impact as freshmen.
Ausbon joined a Texas A&M wide receiver room that had Christian Kirk and Damion Ratley. Despite the competition, he still racked up 50 catches as a true freshman. Making his debut against UCLA, he secured his first touchdown just two games later against Louisiana.
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He would be a consistent option in the offense before a breakout 105-yard receiving game against New Mexico. Earning freshman All-SEC honors, he finished the season in style. Ausbon racked up 112 receiving yards and a score in the Aggies’ bowl game against Wake Forest.
Unfortunately, that momentum didn’t carry into his sophomore season
Although he made nine starts, Ausbon lost four games following foot surgery on a broken bone injury suffered against Arkansas. Consequently, he fell behind in the Texas A&M wide receiver room. Quartney Davis, Camron Buckley, and tight end Jace Sternberger, all featured more prominently in the 2018 season.
With Sternberger departed for the 2019 NFL Draft, Jhamon Ausbon grabbed the opportunity to become the playmaker in the Aggies’ offense. In the third game of the season, he put up 109 receiving yards on Lamar from just 4 catches. Snagging 8 catches the following week against Auburn, he put up consecutive 100+ yard games for the first time in his career. In addition to a career-high 872 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns, he emerged as a team leader, captaining the Aggies in every game.
Although he flirted with the idea of declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft, he announced in January that he would return to College Station for his senior season. However, amid the uncertainty of the season, Jhamon Ausbon decided to opt-out and declare for the 2021 NFL Draft.
Jhamon Ausbon’s best fits in the 2021 NFL Draft
With his size, physicality, and speed, Texas A&M wide receiver Jhamon Ausbon makes for an intriguing prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft. Will a perceived lack of college production — particularly in 2018 — combined with a year out of the game and a deep receiver class limit his chances of being drafted?
His best fit is as an outside receiver. There, his skill set would allow him to be a deep threat in contested catch situations. That said, he has demonstrated the ability to play out of the slot. This is where his physicality allows him to win in the middle of the field. Some teams that have wide receiver needs include the New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, and the New Orleans Saints.
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Oliver Hodgkinson is a staff writer for Pro Football Network. You can follow him on Twitter at @ojhodgkinson.