Austin Deculus (born March 12, 1999)[1] is an American professional football offensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU.

Austin Deculus
refer to caption
Deculus with the LSU Tigers
No. 76 – New Orleans Saints
Position:Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1999-03-12) March 12, 1999 (age 25)
Mamou, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:321 lb (146 kg)
Career information
High school:Cy-Fair
(Cypress, Texas)
College:LSU (2017–2021)
NFL draft:2022 / round: 6 / pick: 205
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Practice squad
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Games played:12
Games started:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Deculus was born in Mamou, Louisiana, but grew up in Cypress, Texas, where he attended Cy-Fair High School. He was highly regarded as an offensive line prospect coming out of high school, being ranked the No. 5 offensive tackle prospect by ESPN.[2]

College career

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In his freshman season at LSU in 2017, Deculus played in all 13 games on special teams, appearing only twice on the offensive line due to injuries to the team's starters.[2]

In the second week of his sophomore season in 2018, Deculus had his first start at left tackle in a game against Southeastern Louisiana. He shifted to right tackle the following week and started there for the remainder of the season. He finished the year with a total of 827 snaps played, including all 86 snaps in the Fiesta Bowl.[2]

Deculus was considered the "most improved" offensive lineman at LSU in 2019 and started 13 games, missing two due to injury. He played every snap in the Tigers' national championship win over Clemson, totaling 885 snaps over the whole season.[2]

Deculus started all ten games at right tackle in 2020, and was named to the 2020 Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll.[2]

Deculus took advantage of an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic as he entered his fifth year playing for the Tigers. In 12 games in 2021, he played a total of 829 snaps, and recorded his only college football tackle in a game against UCLA.[2]

Professional football career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 5 in
(1.96 m)
321 lb
(146 kg)
34+38 in
(0.87 m)
9+14 in
(0.23 m)
5.06 s 1.75 s 2.81 s 4.99 s 28.5 in
(0.72 m)
9 ft 1 in
(2.77 m)
24 reps
Sources:[3][4]

Houston Texans

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Deculus was selected in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL draft by the Houston Texans with the 205th pick overall.[5] The Texans had previously selected his LSU teammate Derek Stingley Jr. in the first round of the draft.[6][7]

On August 29, 2023, Deculus was waived by the Texans and re-signed to the practice squad.[8][9] He was promoted to the active roster on September 30.[10] He was waived on November 11.[11]

New York Jets

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On November 13, 2023, Deculus was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets.[12] He was waived on August 27, 2024.[13]

New Orleans Saints

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On August 29, 2024, Deculus was signed to the New Orleans Saints practice squad.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Austin Deculus Bio Information – NCAA College Football". FOX Sports. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Austin Deculus". LSU. July 8, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  3. ^ "Austin Deculus Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  4. ^ "2022 NFL Draft Scout Austin Deculus College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "2022 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  6. ^ Chrisman, Spencer (April 30, 2022). "2022 NFL Draft: LSU OL Austin Deculus selected by Texans in 6th round". WAFB. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  7. ^ Thompson, Cole (April 30, 2022). "Texans Bolster Trenches, Add LSU Offensive Tackle Austin Deculus". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  8. ^ "Texans announce initial 53-man roster". HoustonTexans.com. August 29, 2023.
  9. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (8-30-2023)". HoustonTexans.com. August 30, 2023.
  10. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (9-30-2023)". HoustonTexans.com. September 30, 2023.
  11. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (11-11-2023)". HoustonTexans.com. November 11, 2023.
  12. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (November 14, 2023). "Jets Sign OL Austin Deculus". NewYorkJets.com.
  13. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (August 27, 2024). "Final Cuts | Jets Move 37 to Get Their Roster to 53 Players". NewYorkJets.com.
  14. ^ "Saints sign former LSU OT to practice squad". Canal Street Chronicles. SB Nation. August 29, 2024.
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