Chicago Bears should draft Austin Corbett in Round 2

The Chicago Bears had a very good first night of the 2018 NFL Draft.  Now that Butkus Award winner Roquan Smith is on board, where should the Bears go in Round 2?

With the help of a couple of surprise picks, the draft board broke well for the Chicago Bears last night.  With the eighth overall pick, they scooped up Roquan Smith, a linebacker from the University of Georgia.  The Butkus Award winner is a “plug and play” day one starter for Vic Fangio.  Austin Corbett, another day one starter could be there in Round 2.  If he is, the Bears should make him their second-round selection.

Now, I’m making a few assumptions with this pick.  Mainly, that Harold Landry, Will Hernandez, and Josh Jackson will be off the board by the 39th overall pick.  Additionally, I am assuming the Bears will attack one of their three biggest positions of need.  Those positions are edge rusher, offensive line, and defensive back.

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Fans might salivate at the talent at wide receiver available at 39th overall, and I do not disagree.  However, the wide receiver position has a lot of depth in the later rounds.  Additionally, while it is a position of need after Cam Meredith’s departure, it is not as critical as those mentioned above.  On the other hand, there is not a lot of depth at the edge rusher position, and reaching for one at 39th isn’t a good idea.  Ideally, I’d like to see the Bears trade back a bit in the second round, (and recoup another second-round pick) where I think they can still grab Corbett and possibly Isaiah Oliver, the defensive back from the University of Colorado.

However, without a trade and with the above assumptions in mind, Austin Corbett should be the pick.  I  previously identified Corbett as a player to watch prior to the Senior Bowl.  At the time he was flying under the radar, and I had hoped the Bears would be able to grab him in the fourth round.  However, he has been steadily climbing up draft boards for a variety of reasons.

In 2013, Austin Corbett arrived at the University of Nevada as a walk-on.  Corbett did not receive a scholarship offer in high school.  As a result, he had to sell himself to the Nevada coaching staff via email.  He had an outstanding career at Nevada, which included appearing on the Outland Trophy watch list.  Corbett is 6-foot-4 and weighs 305 pounds and has the toughness you want in an offensive lineman.  He is a maximum effort guy on every single play.

Though he played left tackle in college, he will likely shift from that position at the next level.  There is some fear he does not have the arm length to play tackle in the NFL.  However, one of the reasons I like Corbett for the Bears is his versatility.  He can easily switch to guard and replace Josh Sitton alongside Kyle Long.  But, as he did at the Senior Bowl, he can also play center.  That gives Matt Nagy options with his offensive line whether he chooses to move players around, or is forced to due to injury.

Corbett’s a very bright, technically sound lineman with great footwork and terrific size for an interior lineman.  He has also earned the reputation as an incredibly hard worker.  His combination of athleticism, intelligence and work ethic would allow Harry Hiestand to turn him into a pro bowl player.  Although the Bears missed out on Quenton Nelson, Corbett would be a very nice consolation prize.  In addition, it seems Corbett has the same mental makeup of Nelson.  In a recent interview with Draftwire’s Justin Melo, Corbett said:

"You gotta be a little messed up to play offensive line (laughs). It’s such a combative area throughout the game. For me, it’s what I look forward to. Just to be able to break another man’s will over the course of a game. There’s nothing better."

That is the type of mentality you want your offensive linemen to have.  It is reminiscent of the days of Olin Kreutz and Roberto Garza, who routinely broke the will of opposing defenses.  Moreover, the interior line is becoming much more important to solidify.  The Green Bay Packers have significantly upgraded their defensive line with Muhammad Wilkerson, while the Minnesota Vikings added Sheldon Richardson.  The Bears need to solidify their interior line to protect Mitchell Trubisky.

Next: 5 best players available in round two

Bottom Line

The Chicago Bears are in a very good position to draft an impact player in the second round.  However, if some of the more premiere names come off the board early, a player like Corbett could fall into their laps and into the starting lineup.