While most draft classes in recent memory have featured one or two quarterbacks entrenched at the top of draft boards, this is not the case in the 2022 NFL Draft quarterback class. That being said, I’d like to fight the narrative that this is a very poor quarterback class. There is no elite, surefire QB prospect, but there is a handful of prospects with clear franchise QB potential. Matt Corral, the 6’1″ 205 lb. passer from Ole Miss, is currently my QB1. Let’s see what his strengths are and what he needs to work on to realize his sky-high potential!
Strengths: Corral possesses great arm strength that allows him to hit the deepest of throws and to put a lot of zip on drive throws. He is a very accurate quarterback as well. His accuracy to the short and intermediate levels is great, as he consistently fits the ball into tight windows and leads his receivers to yards after the catch, even on screen passes. Corral flashes deep ball accuracy as well, with some throws dropped into the bucket from 40+ yards out. He often flashes great touch and anticipation. Corral processes the field very well, showing the ability to go through his progressions to find the open man. He also regularly turns to his check-down option when needed. Corral thrives against pressure, as he keeps his eyes downfield and delivers passes through incoming hits, maintaining a great vision of the field to find the open man even when the pocket starts to collapse. He can evade a muddied pocket as well, given that he is a remarkably twitchy and elusive athlete. Corral throws on the run accurately. His ability to do so off-platform, in addition to his ability to vary his arm angles when throwing from within the pocket, speaks to his elite arm talent. Corral is an elite runner as well, as he possesses great burst, speed, and especially shiftiness. He is adept at escaping defenders in the open field to pick up more yards and shows great vision as a runner as well. Corral is a really tough runner too, as he does not hesitate to lower his shoulder and drive through contact against bigger defenders to pick up extra yards when needed. At the same time, Corral knows when and how to slide. Overall, Corral remains poised in the pocket against pressure, looking first to deliver a pass before escaping, which he decides whether or not to do very smartly. He shows the ability to cleanly get rid of the football too, even when he is already in the defender’s grasp. Corral improved a lot from 2020 to 2021, notably in significantly cutting down his number of interceptions. I am confident that Corral will not produce another disastrous performance like the 6- and 5-interception games against Arkansas and LSU in 2020, as he seems to have grown a lot stronger mentally. In 2021, Corral showed he was able to make a mistake and overcome it immediately. Corral shows a great command of the offense, and of the locker room as well. His leadership, competitive drive, and grit are on constant display. His decision to play in Ole Miss’s bowl game despite it not being necessary for him shows his dedication to his team. In the latter part of the year, Corral sustained multiple injuries and played through them, which is a testament to his toughness.
Weaknesses: Corral lacks the ideal size for a quarterback, which concerns me in multiple ways. First, he is more prone to passes being batted down than other quarterbacks. More importantly, I am not sure about how durable he can be if he stays a high-volume runner. Corral took way too many hits this season with a heavy workload on the ground, resulting in recurrent injury issues in the latter portion of the year to both ankles. While I expect him to be used less in the running game in the NFL, it is still a downside attached to his dual-threat ability. Corral is inconsistent throwing the ball deep. While he flashes a tremendous ability in the deeper portion of the field, some deep throws are dangerously underthrown, and others fail to lead receivers open and unnecessarily make the catch more difficult. Additionally, Corral can fail to see a lurking safety, thinking he has single coverage when it actually becomes double coverage by the time the ball arrives at the target. Corral presents a slight ball security concern, both when he tries fighting through contact for more yards and when he fails to sense blindside pressure occasionally. He also needs to become more consistent in throwing the ball away when nothing is there. Sometimes he takes unnecessary sacks in these situations, and sometimes he attempts a risky hero play that puts the ball in danger. Corral’s play flamed out a little bit late in the season, though this could very well be because he picked up multiple ankle injuries that he then played through.
Bottom Line: Corral’s arm strength, accuracy, and athleticism make him a really good quarterback prospect. He can make every NFL throw and is really accurate in the short and intermediate range. Crucially, he processes the field very well, even under pressure. Corral is a really underrated runner who can pick up serious chunks of yardage with his legs given his burst and shiftiness. His size is a concern, especially in regards to durability, and he has several other areas of his game to work on. As a result, Corral is not a sure bet, but I believe his significant improvement from 2020 to 2021 and his high current level of play makes him an intriguing first-round talent with the potential to be a top ten quarterback in the NFL if he can keep improving properly and stay healthy.
Grade: 1.5 (indicative of a mid-first-round grade)
Games watched: Florida (‘20), Kentucky (‘20), Alabama (‘20), Arkansas (‘20), South Carolina (‘20), LSU (‘20), Indiana (‘20), Louisville (‘21), Tulane (‘21), Alabama (‘21), Arkansas (‘21), Tennessee (‘21), Auburn (‘21), Liberty (‘21), Texas A&M (‘21)
On Monday at 7:30 E.T. make sure to tune into fellow scout Alex Greb and I’s reveal of our quarterback rankings and grades during the latest Bold Take Scouting episode. It can be watched live and found later on the YouTube channel Bold Take Scouting, as well as on East-West Football Network’s Twitter page.
Sources
- Cover Image: https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/2022-nfl-draft-qb-matt-corral-says-farewell-to-ole-miss-signaling-draft-intentions/
