Carolina Panthers trade up to select Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral in 2022 NFL Draft

With the No. 94 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers selected Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral in the third round. The Panthers likely selected him because of a strong final college season with the Rebels, where his production remained high despite personnel losses from the 2020 season.

The Panthers traded the No. 137 overall pick and a future third-rounder to the New England Patriots for the No. 94 pick.

Corral entered the draft projected as a top-5 quarterback, with concerns about his physical attributes seeming to lower his draft stock. Despite these concerns, analysts are all agreed on the type of leadership Corral brings to the field and the competitor that he is. The lasting image from a phenomenal stretch as quarterback for Ole Miss was Corral standing alongside his teammates on crutches after suffering a high-ankle sprain during their bowl game — still leading the team.

Corral was a former four-star recruit according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. Corral was the fifth-highest rated quarterback of the 2018 recruiting class.

In 2020, Corral had his breakout season and led the FBS in total offense with 384.3 yards per game. He ranked top-ten in passing efficiency, touchdowns and yards in his 10 starts — and was a Manning Award finalist. In their Outback Bowl win over Indiana, Corral threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns. His final season saw him finish seventh in Heisman Trophy voting in a season where he threw for 3,349 yards and 20 touchdowns with just five interceptions — as well as rushing for another 11 touchdowns.

What NFL draft analysts are saying about Matt Corral

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein detailed the upside to Corral as a quarterback, praising his competitiveness and decision-making. Zierlein cited an NFL scouting director that said his physical attributes were below some of the higher-rated prospects, but that he was a better “pure” quarterback than them.

“Small quarterback with a big heart who has learned to play with better maturity and control without losing his edge,” said Zierlein. “Corral played in a quarterback-friendly scheme with well-defined reads, so he needs to prove he can work through full-field progressions and make good decisions with the ball. He’s decisive, operating with a quick-trigger release to challenge tight windows and possesses the touch to make challenging bucket throws. He’s a fiercely competitive runner but needs to get his slide game up as he’s not built to take the pounding from called runs or scrambles. Corral is mobile, but his poise and accuracy wane when forced to move. Discipline has benefitted Corral and he’s clearly at his best when operating on-schedule and in rhythm. A spread-based scheme and a player-friendly head coach gives Corral the best opportunity to live up to his potential and challenge to become the best QB from this draft class.”