I've thought about this a lot, and I've got a few thoughts to share, but some of them start getting into borderline pop psychoanalysis, so be warned: this could get into the weeds a little bit.
First, I hope that they're still open minded to the Aaron Taylors of the world who don't have the exact right measurements but have championship qualities that can't be measured. I suspect that they will keep an open mind with that. There's no obvious reason that I can see for vetoing a powerful prospect with quick feet and an attitude. The interior linemen don't have to be as long as the OTs.
I've thought especially about whether Greg Austin the coach would recruit Greg Austin the player for this offense. If I get the chance at the coaches' clinic, I'm going to ask him that in private because I have a hunch that he's thought about it. Here's where I get into the psychobabble: As a coach I recognize my own weaknesses as a former (high school) player, and I often steer away players from being put in the same compromising situations. Is it possible that Austin does too? Who better than Austin--who worked as hard as anyone, and who was as coachable as anyone--to understand the limitations of playing in the O-line when your height (and knees) are a handicap. I would be shocked if he doesn't pay especially close attention to the health of the knees of the guys he recruits after all that he had to work through; is it a stretch to wonder if he might avoid recruiting prospects who would have had to overcome his height limitations, too? I don't know, and it's possible that he doesn't either, but I'd like to ask him that over a beer and hear what he has to say.
I hadn't heard that before, but I'd bet a large sum of money that he wanted them to be OTs, especially in the 70s when we were slingin' the ball all over.