Matt Corral explains why he is prepared to be starting NFL quarterback

Former Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral is viewed as a late first-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Prior to the NFL Combine, he shared why he’s ready to not only play in the league, but start.

In ESPN analyst Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft, he has Corral going to the Detroit Lions as the No. 32 overall pick via a trade with the Los Angeles Rams. But Detroit has a starting quarterback in Jared Goff, which would make Corral’s path to a starting job a tough one.

Ahead of the combine, he made his case for why he can be a starter in the NFL.

“What really separates me is my ability to lead a team,” Corral said, via NFL.com’s Dan Parr. “I understand what it means to be vulnerable around people who don’t necessarily want to be vulnerable. I was one of those guys who didn’t want to talk about emotion. That’s just how it was. … If I was crying, I was like, ‘stop crying.’ I have two older brothers, and it was like a toughen-up type of thing.”

Corral starred for Ole Miss this past season, throwing for 3,349 yards and 20 touchdowns to help the Rebels to a 10-3 overall record, including 6-2 in SEC play. He suffered an ankle injury in the Sugar Bowl, but that doesn’t appear to have impacted his draft stock too much. He confirmed this week the injury is healed and he’s ready to go for this weekend’s combine in Indianapolis.

Matt Corral provides major injury update at NFL Combine

After opting not to throw and workout at the NFL Scouting Combine, Matt Corral shared a surprising update on his ankle on Wednesday.

The former Ole Miss standout told the media that he’s 100% healthy at this point. He’s been rehabbing the injury to his ankle that he suffered in the Sugar Bowl. His diagnosis put his rehab time between six to eight weeks, however, Corral only began throwing again two weeks ago. It’s possible that he feels he needs more reps before the scouts begin judging him live versus his first-round competitors.

Regardless, Corral plans to work out for scouts at Ole Miss’s Pro Day on March 23.

The dual-threat quarterback revealed several interviews with NFL teams after the first day at the combine. He sat down with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons and Washington Commanders.

After interviewing with the Steelers, Corral told the media that he would “love” the challenge of following in Ben Roethlisberger’s footsteps in Pittsburgh.