Mel Kiper perfectly describes Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft
The NFL scouting process, much like the high school football recruiting process, never sleeps. On Tuesday night’s NFL Draft Special on ESPN, Mel Kiper Jr. was singing the praises of Ole Miss signal-caller Matt Corral.
“Gritty competitor,” Kiper said of Corral. “He played through pain. He played through injury. Those guys love him. He’s a warrior out there for Ole Miss. Ron Rivera will love that, the former linebacker that he is from the NFL and at Cal.
“You look at the frame, can he stay healthy is an issue. He can spin it. He can run. He’s a dual-threat quarterback. In terms of who is going to QB1 [in the 2022 NFL Draft], Matt Corral is certainly going to be in that mix.”
Matt Corral is truly an elite prospect
Kiper is not wrong to be smitten with the remarkably talented signal-caller. Corral spins one of the prettiest spirals in the game today and he’s a very underrated runner in the open field.
In the NFL, it’s a little more difficult to stay healthy as a running quarterback and the hits are more violent. Corral has shown that he’s not scared of getting hit and he has the ability to play through pain. as Kiper said.
He’s also had some incredible runs over the years where he’s bulldozed through tacklers, so his level of toughness will never be questioned. The key question will be whether or not he can maintain the longevity of his NFL career with that type of running style?
In an era where many college football players with NFL futures are choosing not to play in bowl games, Corral has decided that he’s going to play in the 2022 Allstate Sugar Bowl against Baylor.
He’s posted incredible numbers
Corral dissected defenses all season long for the Rebels. The quarterback combined a blend of running and accuracy that few SEC defenses could stop in 2021. He was surgical with the football, completing 68.4% of his passes for 3,339 passing yards while tossing 20 touchdown passes and just four interceptions.
As a runner, the Ole Miss signal-caller also displayed his dynamic running ability in the open field, rushing 145 times—accumulating 597 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.
No matter what happens in the NFL, he’s clearly left his mark as not only one of the greatest quarterbacks in Ole Miss history but college football history, as well. He’s likely to be selected in the top 10 overall of the 2022 NFL Draft.
It’ll be exciting to see where Corral ends up in the NFL, but for now, college football fans will get one final look at one of the greatest to ever spin it in Ole Miss history.
Ole Miss plays Baylor in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The game will be played in the Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans, La. Kickoff is slated for 8:45 p.m. EST on Jan. 1, 2022, and it will be televised on ESPN.
On3’s Stephen Samra also contributed to the report.