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2018 NFL Draft Profile: Nevada LT Austin Corbett
Former Nevada Wolf Pack left tackle Austin Corbett is preparing for the 2018 NFL Draft
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Here are the strengths and weakness for this former Nevada left tackle as he preps for the NFL Draft.
Former Nevada Wolf Pack left tackle Austin Corbett will hope to hear his name being called as a NFL team selects him in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Corbett, a four-year starter at Nevada who walked on to the program after high school, started in 48 of 49 games during his time in Reno. Corbett earned honorable mention All Mountain West in 2015 in his first season as a starter. As a junior, Corbett performed well enough to be named second team All Mountain West. In his final year in Reno, Corbet was named first team All Mountain West as he was the anchor on the line on an offense that showed marked improvement throughout the season.
Corbett will look to become the first Nevada Wolf Pack player drafted since 2014 when Joel Bitonio (the guy Corbett replaced on the offensive line at Nevada) was drafted in the second round (35th overall) by the Cleveland Browns. It’s a solid chance given his talents that Corbett may get picked this high yet some of his limitations as a blocker may cause his name to not get called this high or at all in this draft. But Corbett is an interesting player who has the tools and the talent that NFL teams will seriously look at and possibly draft as a player who can improve a team’s offensive line.
Here is a look at the strengths and weakness of the former Wolf Pack left tackle Austin Corbett.
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Strengths
Corbett has good feet work for a lineman and he moves well enough to get to that next level on the field when it comes to blocking defenders. He has good core strength and can bend well enough to generate leverage and power on opposing pass rushers. When it comes to pass rushers doing twists and stunts, Corbett hold his own very well against those moves. He has shown the ability and athleticism to block and ward off these types of pass rushing moves.
Corbett is also a very durable player as he only missed one game during his time in Reno. He is also a hardworking, well-liked player as his teammates named him team captain last season. Nevada struggled last season transition over to a new Air Raid offensive attack, but Corbett was the team’s rock as he one of the leader in helping the Wolf Pack transition to that new offense. Corbett’s strong work ethic and maturity was one of the many reason why the Wolf Pack offense improved as a unit during the last part of the 2017 season.
Weakness
For all his good feet work and solid core strength, Corbett does have technique issues that he will need to clean up. There are some plays that Corbett does display solid technique in blocking pass rushers. However, there are times when he displays poor technique and opposing pass rushers were able to jostle Corbet out of position and that defender disrupts the play.
Also, Corbett will have to learn to play in a NFL style blocking system after spending a year playing in an Air Raid style blocking scheme. For Corbett to succeed at the next level, an adjustment will have to be made for Corbett. With that being said Corbett did spend a few years playing in a pro style blocking scheme under former Wolf Pack head coach Brian Polian so for Corbett, the transition back to that scheme may not be as steep as one would think.
Finally, because of Corbett’s inconsistent blocking technique and his time spent last year in an Air Raid offense Corbett will more than likely must switch from tackle to either guard or center at the next level. Corbett does not have the blocking techniques to be a tackle in the NFL, but he has the work ethic and toughness to be a contributor on the interior part of the offensive line. If he applies those best traits of his then Corbett can have a nice career as an interior offensive line ahead of him whether he hears his named called during the draft or not.
Draft Prediction
Given that this draft has quite a bit of good and talented offensive linemen, Corbett could hear his name being called in the early rounds. Corbett has the talent and toughness to contribute to the depth of any teams offensive line despite his athletic limitations and his issues with his blocking techniques. Taking his full body of work and his profile, I can see Corbett being a second or third round draft pick in this year’s draft. He is a prospect with some question marks but has the drive to be a steal in a deep class of offensive linemen.
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