2022 NFL Draft prospects: Matt Corral linked with Steelers, Saints
The Ole Miss quarterback has followed in 2004 number one pick Eli Manning’s footsteps in college football and hopes to do the same in the pros.
Despite lacking the box office appeal of Malik Willis or Kenny Pickett, Matt Corral is one of the most attractive quarterback prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft. Given that he has followed closely in the footsteps of former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning at Ole Miss, Corral is an interesting prospect going into the pros in the NFL.
Corral, 23, has been at Ole Miss for four years and has matured season by season to the point that he is now considered one of the finest prospects of his generation. In his first season in college football he only played four games from the bench, throwing for 239 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. In 2019 he was given greater rein but a rib injury limited him to 10 games, in which he racked up 1,362 passing yards for six touchdowns with three interceptions.
Corral shines at Ole Miss
He also played 10 games in 2020, but his output increased considerably with 3,337 yards, 29 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions, which earned him a nomination for the Manning Award, which eventually went to Mac Jones. He was also named MVP at the 2021 Outback Bowl, where the Rebels beat the Hoosiers 26-20.
With 3,333 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 4 interceptions in 2021, Corral led Ole Miss to the Sugar Bowl but was forced out of the first quarter with an injury. In total, Corral’s stats at Mississippi reached 8,287 yards and 57 touchdowns, placing him third on the all-time list for Ole Miss.
Where could Corral go in the 2022 NFL Draft?
Corral, who according to NFL projections can be compared to Heisman Trophy winner and Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, is likely to have many suitors in the draft.
In several draft simulations, Corral has been consistently linked with the Steelers (who recently lost Ben Roethlisberger to retirement) and the Saints, where Jameis Winston is the current starter. However, the projections do not concur on where in the draft Corral will go, with some placing him as a first-round pick and others suggesting he will go in the second round.