David Corrao enters his eighth season with the Lions and first as senior defensive assistant/outside linebackers in 2025. He was elevated to the role after three seasons (2022-24) as defensive assistant/outside linebackers and four seasons (2018-21) as director of football research.
He returned to the NFL coaching ranks in 2018 after spending 2016 as the defensive coordinator at Northern Michigan, followed by a stint at the University of Mississippi in 2017 as a senior player personnel analyst. Corrao began his coaching career in the high school ranks before serving in assistant coach roles at Syracuse (2000-03), Northeastern (2004) and Mississippi (2005-07). He moved into the NFL coaching realm as a defensive quality control coach with the Miami Dolphins in 2008.
Corrao went on to spend eight seasons (2008-15) with Dolphins, where he worked in various roles on the defensive side of the football. In his third season with Miami, Corrao was named assistant linebackers coach in addition to his role as defensive quality control.
In 2010 when Corrao initially began working with the linebackers, Dolphins LB Cameron Wake earned his first-career Pro Bowl nomination. Corrao went on to help the Miami linebacker corps individually reach single-season career highs during his time working with the group. In 2012, Dolphins LB Kevin Burnett reached a career-high in tackles (110), in addition to LB Karlos Dansby in 2012 (134 tackles) and LB Dannell Ellerbe in 2013 (101 tackles). Corrao's first two seasons (2010-11) with the Dolphins linebackers helped propel the group to account for 45.5 of the team's 80 sacks during that span.
In his last season with Miami, Corrao helped now-Lions Defensive Coordinator and former LB Kelvin Sheppard notch a career-high 102 tackles (72 solo) and 13 tackles for loss in 2015.
Corrao joined the Dolphins coaching staff after coaching linebackers at the University of Mississippi in 2007, where he also served as a graduate assistant from 2005-06. At Mississippi, Corrao coached LB Patrick Willis, who went on to become a first-round draft selection by the San Francisco 49ers, the 2007 Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year and Class of 2024 Hall of Fame inductee. Corrao also worked with 2017 Hall of Fame inductee DE Jason Taylor. Prior to Ole Miss, Corrao coached tight ends at Northeastern University in 2004.
Prior to Northeastern, Corrao was on staff at Syracuse where he worked as a graduate assistant from 2000-03, and earned a master's degree in instructional design development and evaluation in 2003. He attended the University of San Diego and was a member of the football team as a freshman in 1992. Corrao went on to earn his bachelor's degree in creative writing from the University of Arizona in 1997. He is a graduate of Trabuco Hills High School in Mission Viejo, Calif.
Corrao and his wife, Trisha, have two daughters, Landry and Shaye, and two dogs, Twyla and Archuccio.
