Now NFL teammates, Matt Corral still helping out Jonathan Mingo like it's 'the first day of college'
Very rarely in this era of the NFL do college teammates continue to be teammates at the next level. Former Ole Miss teammates Matt Corral and Jonathan Mingo are rare exceptions to that rule.
Corral was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft and Mingo was taken by the Panthers in the second around back in April. The duo are once again reunited in the NFC South.
The former Ole Miss quarterback and receiver shared a locker room together in Oxford for three seasons.
For Mingo he is in his first NFL preseason camp and still learning the ropes of life as a rookie all over again. Corral is in his second camp but could easily be considered his first after an early preseason foot injury derailed his rookie season last year.
While Corral is in the middle of his own position battle and trying to stay in the depth chart shuffle behind No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young and veteran quarterback Andy Dalton he will take time to make sure Mingo is not struggle too much his first year in.
“That’s my guy, you know. Matt’s just like my brother,” Mingo said last week after the first day of training camp. “We still be playing around a lot. He helps me a lot during (and) after meetings and stuff. He text me every night. He’ll send me the script and be like, ‘You got any questions about the script just call me. I’ll be here in the morning if you want to walk through the script.’ He still try to help me out just like I came in the first day of college.”
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There are other Ole Miss connections Mingo is keeping alive with former teammates who are now in the NFL.
Philadelphia Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown is entering his fifth season in the NFL and second with his new team after being traded by the Tennessee Titans.
There was not a lot of overlap at Ole Miss between Brown and Mingo but both being from Mississippi adds another layer of their bond.
While working on creating his own style of play Mingo is a student of the game and watches those who came before him and studies their play. That includes former Rebels wideout Brown.
“I like watching A.J. Brown a lot,” Mingo said. “He’s probably one of the biggest reasons I went to Ole Miss. So, I was watching him ever since I was in high school. We’re both from Mississippi, so, I like to watch his highlights a lot. We got similar type body so I like to try to idolize my game after him some.”
