What to expect from Austin Corbett and Kenny Young in L.A.
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theramswire.usatoday.com]
Cameron DaSilva
All the talk in Los Angeles this week has been about the Rams’ acquisition of Jalen Ramsey – and understandably so. He’s arguably the best cornerback in the league and the Rams paid a hefty price tag to bring him to L.A.
However, the Rams also made two other trades on Tuesday. They brought in Austin Corbett from the Browns, as well as Kenny Young from the Ravens in exchange for Marcus Peters. Those two players haven’t garnered much attention with Ramsey being the big addition, but they shouldn’t be overlooked.
Corbett was the No. 33 overall pick in 2018 out of Nevada and ranked as one of the better offensive line prospects in the class. He fell out of favor in Cleveland and has struggled to get on the field, which led to the Browns trading him for a fifth-round pick – a low cost for a player with high upside.
Young, on the other hand, was a fourth-round pick out of UCLA last year and started three games for the Ravens this season. He was benched in the last two, though, including Week 5 as a healthy scratch.
Neither player has shown much in the NFL thus far, but the Rams liked both of them in the 2018 draft. Here’s what Les Snead said of Corbett on Wednesday.
“We liked him coming out. I know we sent (OL coach) Aaron Kromer to go work him out, visit with him privately. Then he goes through his rookie season and there’s a regime change there where John (Dorsey) is still there and Freddie (Kitchens) gets promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach, but a new offensive line coach comes in.
“He’s a player we would have potentially drafted and I think we would look at him as getting that player a year later.”
With Young, the Rams were very familiar with his game because of UCLA’s proximity to Thousand Oaks. The Rams looked closely at him heading into the 2018 draft and liked his speed and athleticism.
“Yeah, he was right down the street. We’re pretty thin at linebacker and we knew that he can run,” Snead said. “I knew we had liked him in college. We had some affinity for what he could do in college because he was right down the road. I knew he had started a good bit of games, so we call it ‘blue man.’ I can punch blue man and filter out his plays and I got (Director, Pro Scouting) Ray Agnew, ‘Hey, run down and see if (special teams coordinator) Coach (John) Fassel would appreciate him.’ Again, because of the Bryce Hager injury a couple of weeks ago, we had been talking about, ‘What if he can’t go, do we need to get a linebacker?’ It was nice timing on Kenny, as well.”
Corbett will be a backup right out of the gate, while Young’s role is “to be determined,” according to Sean McVay. That’s no surprise, considering neither player knows the Rams’ system and play positions where it’s critical to know the calls and scheme.
But once Corbett and Young settle in, what can Rams fans expect from them? It’s possible they’ll both be starters in due time.
Corbett played center with the Browns, but he can also play guard. That’s no coincidence, since the Rams have an opening at left guard after Joseph Noteboom tore has ACL and MCL. McVay said David Edwards will get the start at that spot to begin with, but depending on how he plays, Corbett could push him for snaps.
Corbett is a smart player and uses his hands well as a blocker, which helps make up for his average measurables. Getting to work with Aaron Kromer, who’s regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches in the league, will only help Corbett’s game, too.
If Brian Allen continues to struggle at center, or Edwards flops at left guard, Corbett would be the first guy to get a chance to replace them. A fifth-round pick for a potential starter is a very small price to pay, especially for a player of Corbett’s caliber.
As for Young, he’ll need some time to get acclimated to Wade Phillips’ system. He’s best suited as a weakside linebacker, which is a spot currently occupied by Cory Littleton. That doesn’t mean Young can’t play next to him in place of Bryce Hager or Troy Reeder, but his best position is the one Littleton is playing.
Littleton is a free agent after this season, of course, which makes this move particularly interesting. Might the Rams be preparing for Littleton to leave?
In the more immediate future, Young should get a chance to compete with Reeder and Hager at the other inside linebacker spot. Neither of them has played particularly well, and Hager was even benched in Week 6 for the undrafted rookie Reeder.
Young is a rangy linebacker like Littleton, but he struggles in coverage and isn’t the best tackler. Last season, he missed eight tackles on just 59 attempts, a rate of 13.6%. In coverage, he allowed a passer rating of 87.8, one touchdown, and surrendered catches on 15 of 23 targets. This season, he’s allowed a perfect passer rating of 158.3, giving up one touchdown in coverage on 4-for-4 passing (80 yards).
Young has the tools to be a starting-caliber linebacker in the NFL, but he has to improve as a tackler and get better in coverage. Still, he’s a good backup to have for now, especially with the Rams’ lack of depth.
