Matt Corral lands ideal situation with Carolina Panthers
By James Reeve
With the 94th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers selected quarterback Matt Corral and bring him into the ideal situation to develop.
The Carolina Panthers had questions to answer at the quarterback position ahead of this year’s draft, with Sam Darnold generally not viewed as the long-term answer and constant rumors and reports linking the team with a trade for Baker Mayfield.
With the Panthers opting not to select one of the top quarterbacks of the 2022 class in the first round, belief began to grow that Mayfield was being singled out as the immediate answer – but then the team opted to take advantage of the slide experienced by this QB class.
With their second pick of the 2022 Draft, the Panthers landed a player some believed would be taken in the top 32 picks – Ole Miss’ Matt Corral.
Corral had a fruitful college career with the Rebels, combining for 8,287 passing yards on 67.3% completion success, with 57 touchdowns and 23 interceptions across 37 appearances with the SEC outfit.
He also was an effective rusher from under center, racking up 1338 yards on the ground along with 18 touchdowns – 11 of which came during his junior season in 2021.
His efforts in 2021 saw him win the Connerly Trophy for the best college football player in Mississippi, while also finishing seventh in voting for the coveted Heisman Trophy – ahead of fellow 2022 draftees Desmond Ridder (8th) and Malik Willis (unranked).
Falling to the third round could be viewed as a negative for Corral’s potential in the NFL, but it could be a blessing in disguise as the expectations of him to be an immediate starter and success are alleviated.
With the Carolina Panthers, Corral has also landed in the perfect situation for him to continue his development – where he will not be expected to be ‘the guy’ right out of the gate.
While he did not live up to expectations in his debut season, Darnold is back for another season and is unlikely to be usurped as the team’s starter while he carries an $18.858 million cap hit – with an equal amount of dead cap if the team were to try to part ways with him.
This allows Corral time to watch and learn the team’s playbook carefully, getting practice reps behind Darnold and having the opportunity to watch the professional game up close before likely being given some game time towards the end of the 2022 season to start dipping his toe in the waters.
Everything could change if Corral grabs his new job with both hands and can excel early into training camp, but the smarter approach for his long-term success would be for him to be patient and to play the waiting game while learning as much as possible.
Having Corral step under center fully comfortable with the playbook, having seen it implemented firsthand from the sidelines, could set him up for greater success and a genuine chance to take over the starting role when the 2023 season rolls around.
Having landed Corral in the third round gives the Carolina Panthers more time to work on him as a project, and the pressure to rush him into game action is greatly reduced – allowing the team to work out what other areas of the team need to be addressed come next offseason, ready for their 2022 third-rounder to step up.