Vikings Draft Prospect: OL Austin Corbett

Name: Austin Corbett

Position: Offensive Tackle, but figures to play Guard

School: Nevada

Height: 6’4″

Weight: 305

Size

Corbett has sub-optimal size for a tackle, which is where he played exclusively at Nevada. His height at 6-foot-4 is not bad, but his arms are a little on the short side at just a tick over 33 inches. For an NFL guard, however, Corbett is above average. His long legs give him a tackle appearance, but most scouts project him as a guard at the next level.

Athleticism

While he does not wow with blow away speed or great jumping numbers, Corbett is athletic where it counts. He has above-average lateral quickness, allowing him to match defenders in pass pro. This was evidenced by his 4.5 time in the 20-yard shuffle, fourth among linemen at the combine. Corbett also shows a good burst off the line and decent straight-line speed. His 5.15 40-yard dash was among the better times, but more importantly, his 10-yard split of 1.76 was tied for fifth-best.

Strength

This area is Corbett’s greatest question mark. Though he won most of his battles at Nevada, he was also manhandled a little more than one would like, especially given his competition. To his credit, Corbett always delivers a strong first punch, creating immediate space. But the following few seconds sometimes show his average power. This was evidenced by his poor showing in the bench at the combine with just 19 reps. This is not necessarily a detriment because Corbett succeeds in other ways. But there is some concern as to how he will hold up on the interior against NFL defensive tackles.

Run Blocking

Corbett has a nastiness about his run blocking. As stated before, he wins from the snap, firing off the ball low and mean to deliver an initial blow. After that, he gets good hand position to stick to the block and finish. Or he can discard and work to the second level to throw another hard hit. The drive after the initial blow is average, and his feet can stagnate at times. But with a two-yard cushion from the first hit, it does not matter. Nevada ran a fair amount of zone, and Corbett showed he has the instincts and quickness to thrive in a zone-heavy scheme. The only point of contention with him technique-wise is his pulls. As a tackle, he did not pull much. But on the few he has on tape, Corbett had a tendency to stand straight up. He should be able to iron that out pretty quickly with NFL coaching, however.

Pass Blocking

If it were not for his general lack of length, Corbett would be a well-thought-of tackle prospect. His pass blocking technique is solid all-around, starting from the set. He sinks his hips well with his hands up. Once his hands are up, he knows where to throw them to maintain separation. His side-to-side mirror is more than adequate to counter pass rush moves and he has no issue redirecting with hard punches. Most importantly, Corbett is almost never beaten across his face. He is always keen to punch or ride his man outside and counter any interior moves.

Vikings Fit

Corbett’s stock seems to be changing daily. His technique and quickness have drawn some eyes as a second- or third-rounder. But his mediocre strength could see him slip to day three. Corbett’s combine performance was somewhat disappointing, particularly the bench, which may have lowered his projections a bit. Regardless, it is his instincts and explosive first punch that will allow him to succeed at the next level, not necessarily his strength.

Given that the Vikings have filled many of their other needs in free agency, the window is open for a lot of offensive linemen to come in via the draft. As a late day two pick, he has many of the tools to slide in day one. His decent open field speed would complement the Vikings’ screen and zone game well and he has the technique to be a good interior pass blocker. His ceiling is not as high as other interior linemen in the draft, but Corbett projects to be a solid starter.

–Sam Smith is the Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage Vikings and Full Press Coverage NFC North. Like and Follow @samc_smith Follow @fpc_vikingsFollow @fpc_nfcn

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