Austin Corbett’s hunger grows with another challenge

Scott says he worries less about Corbett than other players because he has taken such an adult approach to every step of this process.

“He’s one of the guys I would say is an outlier that does everything right,” Scott said. “I know he’s going to get his sleep. I know he’s going to eat right. I know he’s going to do all the things he’s supposed to do.”

Now, that includes lifting weights again, even if it’s in a different way.

“It’s just ingrained into who we are, right? Being in that weight room, especially guys on the line of scrimmage,” Corbett said. “So getting right, being able to catch a power clean, getting into a squat, and doing deadlifts. The range of motion is still a little limited, but it’s getting there.

“You can really tell, just from two weeks ago to where I am today, the strength difference. It’s really starting to stack, and so it’s exciting and doubly helps the mental side.”

After weeks of being so limited, the idea of grunting through a 375-pound deadlift, the soft thud of the plates on the rubberized floor on the way back down, settling back under the clank of a bar on the squat rack, that’s all music to Corbett’s ears.

Of course, the tune changed for him last weekend.

Like everyone, he was encouraged to see quarterback Bryce Young arrive Thursday night, buoyed by the same hope the rest of the organization has enjoyed.

Corbett laughed about the way Young was asked about commanding a huddle — as if Young being short and soft-spoken would prevent Corbett from realizing he was the quarterback.

“That kind of always gets blown up,” Corbett said. “It’s always funny when people ask me about it. It’s like, he’s the only one that knows the plays, so we’re all going to listen. That doesn’t matter at all.”

Beyond that, he mostly watches the draft to see if division rivals add players who will be problems for him and his linemates. But Thursday, he was watching as a civilian. And Friday night was date night with his wife, a time he also needs to restore himself and to maintain that relationship, so he caught up with the second and third rounds later.