Todd McShay: Matt Corral is a 'big-time wildcard' in 2022 NFL Draft

With the 2022 NFL Draft rapidly approaching and now within a week away, there are still some major questions to be addressed across the league. Many of those questions will be answered over the weekend of the draft. One of the biggest question marks in this year’s NFL Draft class is Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral.

Corral played great last season for the Rebels, though he dealt with injuries throughout the year. With so much uncertainty surrounding the quarterback class as a whole, the same can be said for Corral as an individual prospect. ESPN NFL Draft expert Todd McShay joined The Paul Finebaum Show on Thursday, where he called Corral a “big-time wildcard.”

“One GM said he’s kind of like Braveheart,” McShay said of Corral. “If you’re not with him and on him side, you can’t stand him. But everyone around him is like, ‘I’ll run through a wall for this guy.’ He’s a winner and a leader. He’ll carry the ball 30 times in a game if he has to, he did it at Ole Miss. His play style, he’s got a temper. He doesn’t have a big frame, he’s not built like a mike linebacker from the waste down like Malik Willis is.

“Durability is going to be a concern with him. That’s one reason you could see him fall out of the first round. The other is just going from that RPO-heavy style of offense and the fact that throws 20+ yards down the field, his accuracy really dropped off. Those are two of the big concerns with Corral. And then yeah, what are you getting in terms of the maturity and who is he, does he know himself and what he wants to be. Those are questions that legitimately scouts and general managers have brought up to me.”

McShay isn’t convinced Corral will be a first round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft

Corral broke out in 2020 at Ole Miss, throwing for 3,337 yards with 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Knowing that he needed to cut back on his turnovers, Corral did just that in 2021, throwing for 3,349 yards with 20 touchdowns and just five interceptions. But Corral didn’t just contribute in the passing game. He rushed 112 times for 506 yards and four touchdowns in 2020. He then upped his totals to 152 attempts for 614 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2021.

Corral is behind guys like Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett in the 2022 NFL Draft class. Even Willis and Picket don’t have a sure landing spot at this point. McShay doesn’t seem sure of Corral as a first-round prospect, though he does expect the former Rebels star to be selected early in round two.

“So he is a big-time wildcard,” said McShay. “You look at his short-to-intermediate accuracy, his mobility at the position, his snap release, he has the quickest release of all these quarterbacks, the ability to extend inside and outside the pocket, there’s a lot to like there and that’s why he’s going to be a top 50 pick. I’m just not convinced he’s going to go in the first round.”