Quick Facts
Biography
Austin Pettis (born February 8, 1989) is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted in the 3rd round, 78th overall, in the 2011 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams.
Early years
Pettis attended Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, California. He had 72 receptions for 1,079 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior. He was named First-team All-league and All-county and Third-team All-state and was also named to the All-Southern Section Team while helping team to state championship. As a sophomore he was named Second-team All-league as well as being named top sophomore on team. He lettered in football three times, basketball three times, and track and field twice.
College career
Pettis finished his Boise State career as the school's all-time leader in both receptions (229) and touchdown catches (39). His 2,838 receiving yards rank second on the all-time list. He was a four-year starter in the Broncos' high-powered offense. Pettis set career highs with 71 receptions and 951 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior and earned First-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors for the second consecutive year.
As a junior, in 2008, Pettis had 63 receptions for 855 yards and 14 touchdowns and was a First-team All-WAC selection. Pettis was named Second-team All-WAC after his sophomore season (2007), catching 49 passes for 567 yards, averaging 11.6 yards per catch and nine touchdowns. He was also named to the All-WAC academic team. In 2007 as a true freshmen, he finished season second on team with 46 receptions and finished second on team with six TD catches and third with 465 yards receiving.
Professional career
Pre-draft
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | Wonderlic | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2⅝ in | 209 lb | 31¾ in | 9¾ in | 4.56 s | 1.60 s | 2.56 s | 3.88 s | 6.68 s | 33½ in | 10 ft 0 in | 14 reps | x | |||||||
| Values from NFL Combine | |||||||||||||||||||
At the 2011 NFL Combine Pettis ran the shuttle in 3.88 seconds, fastest among the receivers at the combine. Pettis also finished sixth in the 60-yard shuttle (11.14 seconds) and 11th in the 3-cone drill (6.68 seconds).
Pettis was drafted 78th overall in the 2011 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. On July 29, 2011, Pettis signed a four-year contract with the Rams that included a $614,000 signing bonus. In a week 7 loss against the Green Bay Packers in 2012, Pettis caught his first NFL touchdown pass, a 3-yard reception. He was waived on October 20, 2014.
He was signed by the San Diego Chargers on January 9, 2015 then released on September 5, 2015.
Career Stats
Receiving Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Receptions | Yards | Average Yards per Reception | Longest Reception | Touchdowns | Fumbles | Fumbles Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | STL | 12 | 27 | 256 | 9.5 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | STL | 14 | 30 | 261 | 8.7 | 36 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | STL | 16 | 38 | 399 | 10.5 | 31T | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | STL | 5 | 12 | 118 | 9.8 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 47 | 107 | 1,034 | 9.6 | 36 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
Returning Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Punt Returns | Punt Return Yards | Punts Returned for Touchdowns | Fair Catches | Longest Punt Return | Kickoff Returns | Kickoff Return Yards | Kickoff Return Touchdowns | Fair Catches | Longest Kickoff Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | STL | 12 | 15 | 139 | 0 | 10 | 39 | 3 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| 2012 | STL | 14 | 11 | 77 | 0 | 9 | 23 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 2013 | STL | 16 | 2 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | STL | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 47 | 29 | 254 | 0 | 19 | 39 | 4 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
Personal life
Austin is the nephew of former Major League Baseball player Gary Pettis and cousin of actor Kyler Pettis and athlete Dante Pettis who plays for the University of Washington football team.