One Last Check on NFL Draft projections for Ole Miss Rebels

The 2022 NFL Draft begins on Thursday and by Saturday evening over 260 picks will have been made and dreams achieved and several former Ole Miss Rebels will be included.

Hours before the Jacksonville Jaguars are on the clocks here is one final check on the pulse of the draft and where some of the prognosticators feel Matt Corral, Sam Williams and other Rebels might land once the the festivities begin.

First or Second Round for Corral?

All last season Corral was considered one of the top quarterbacks in college football along with Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett and Liberty’s Malik Willis.

That is still the case but Corral’s draft stock has been on a roller coaster since the Sugar Bowl, more so than Pickett and Willis’ stock.

A first round selected seemed initially in the cards for Corral but as draft week got closer and all the combines and pro day appearances were completed, that up and down trend continues for the former Rebel signal caller.

Not many draft pundits roll out a full seven-round mock draft but of the ones that have include a mixed bag for Corral.

One NFL.com writer still has Corral firmly in the first round and inside the top 15 as the 12th overall pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

ESPN’s Matt Miller is a little less bullish on Corral’s first round prospects. In his seven-round mock draft, Miller has Corral falling into the upper level of the second round as the 40th overall pick to the Seattle Seahawks.

The pick was part of the trade that involved sending Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos so selecting a quarterback with it would make all the sense in the world.

When Might the Other Rebels Go?

Corral is still the consensus favorite to be the first Rebel taken off the board in this weekend’s draft. After Corral it the consensus also appears to be that Williams will be the next Rebel to go.

Both Miller and Chad Reuter — who comprised the aforementioned NFL.com full mock draft — agree that Williams will go in the third round but different on which pick.

In Reuter’s mock draft he has Williams going 88th overall to the Dallas Cowboys. That guess makes some sense after seeing Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn work with Williams towards the end of the Rebels Pro Day last month.

Miller’s mock draft he has Williams waiting just a little longer and being taken as the 94th overall pick by the Kansas City Chiefs.

After Williams that is where Miller and Reuters seem to differ on the remaining Rebels, though their next guess does involve a wide receiver just two different ones.

The next Rebel to be drafted in Miller’s mock is Dontario Drummond in the fifth round as the 149th overall pick by the Carolina Panthers. Reuters stays in the NFC South but has Braylon Sanders going in the sixth round to the New Orleans Saints as the 194th overall pick.

Sanders is the final Rebel in Reuters’ mock draft but Miller sees one more Rebel going in his before the seven rounds are completed with offensive tackle Ben Brown slotted in the sixth round to the Cincinnati Bengals as the 209th overall pick.

If either of those two mock drafts are close to being true to form that would mean Jerrion Ealy, Snoop Conner, Chance Campbell might be waiting to be part of wave of undrafted free agent signing that will begin immediately after the seventh round concludes on Saturday evening.

The 2022 NFL Draft starts on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT and will air on ESPN and the NFL Network.