My apologies if this specific article has been posted, but I’ll paste it here since it’s just on NFL.com to read.
To me, this best explains all the things people have questions about with Matt.
Link: NFL.COM article
“
Corral led FBS in total offense per game (384.3 yards) as a redshirt sophomore in 2020 and finished seventh in Heisman voting in 2021, when he threw for 3,349 yards and 20 touchdowns and ran for 11 more TDs on a Rebels team that went 10-3 and reached the Sugar Bowl. Multiple scouts and coaches said Corral's tape was the best of all the QBs. "Release, arm talent, grit, toughness, playmaker," said an AFC executive who ranked Corral No. 1. "I think he's a starting quarterback in the league." Said another AFC scout: "He quietly might be the top guy. Who knows about the scheme and everything, but it seems like he's got enough instincts, accuracy, arm for people to get behind."
Yet, Corral is polarizing, both on and off the field. Start with the high-speed Ole Miss offense. "It is Lane Kiffin gimmick s---," an AFC quarterbacks coach said. "I know the numbers and the completion percentage is high (69.2% the past two seasons under Kiffin) -- it is a lot of like bubbles and short little quick things. I can see you where you could easily say, mechanically and aesthetically, man, [Corral] can look really pretty throwing it. It's a nice tight spiral, he turns the ball over. And look, he's athletic, man. He gains yards running for it. [But] he has some accuracy issues. Even the ones that are completions are back-hipped or a little off. He's the type of player that I could put together 25 plays and you'd be like, well s---, let's sign him. And I could put another 50 plays [together] and you'd say no f---ing way."
Reviews were mixed on the football portions of Corral's pre-draft interviews with teams; some say Corral struggled with recall on basic concepts and protections, while others say there were no major issues. "A lot of what Lane did with him was get to the perimeter quick or take a (deep) shot. There wasn't a lot of progression reads, and that's a fact of the offense," an NFC scout said. "He's got an odd little motion where he's really trying to aim it and there's not a lot of natural anticipation and ball placement. But you saw way more turnovers in 2020 than 2021 (cutting his interception total from 14 to five), so he definitely cleaned that up. He's got the moxie and [is] the competitor you want. Taking him in the first round is kinda scary. But once he gets out of the top 20, people will be like, f--- it."
Corral's toughness and competitive nature are unquestioned. (Look no further than his decision to play in the Sugar Bowl, where he suffered a significant high ankle injury that prevented him training for the combine; he threw at his March 23 pro day instead.) But his smaller build -- he bulked up to 212 pounds on his 6-1 5/8 frame before the combine -- is a consideration for teams, especially with his fearless playing style, even if he's certain to scale back his bruising running approach in the NFL. "He's got a strong arm. His accuracy's all over the place. Heavy RPO (offense)," another AFC exec said. "I am less worried about all the s--- in his background, because I do think he's tough as s---, he's a leader. It's just the accuracy, the small frame, he's hurt. He's a little man."
There was more background work required on Corral than any other quarterback -- and most other players -- in this draft for a multitude of reasons. The scrap with Wayne Gretzky's son that led to Corral's transfer in high school. The commitments to USC and Florida before finally choosing Ole Miss. Unreliability on and off the field early in his time at Oxford. Corral told CBSSports.com that he grappled with "a depression" in the early part of his college career, but that he realized in 2020 he wanted to make a change because "I got tired of feeling like that. Just tired of making excuses. I got tired of having vices for my problems, like drinking. It f---ed with me. I don't even drink anymore."
Said an AFC executive whose team has done background work on Corral: "It's not clean. I don't think it's deal-breaker. It's just a lot of immaturity, Joe College kind of stuff early in his career. Doing things college guys do off the field, and then on the field, just not what you want out of a quarterback, prep-wise." But Corral won over coaches and teammates at Ole Miss, where it's hard to find anyone to say a bad word about the person, player and leader he is now. "Malik Willis is talented, but I think Matt's probably the most talented overall -- and the guy who's actually done it," another NFC scout said. "He's got a big arm. He's tough as s---. Guys like him. He's a real guy -- like a dude. And it's not fake. He relates well with everybody. He's got leadership to him that way. Guys respond to him. And he cut down on the turnovers this year. Managing a game is paramount. He might have the most upside out of all of them."
To me, this best explains all the things people have questions about with Matt.
Link: NFL.COM article
“
5) Matt Corral, Mississippi
ROUND 1-2Corral led FBS in total offense per game (384.3 yards) as a redshirt sophomore in 2020 and finished seventh in Heisman voting in 2021, when he threw for 3,349 yards and 20 touchdowns and ran for 11 more TDs on a Rebels team that went 10-3 and reached the Sugar Bowl. Multiple scouts and coaches said Corral's tape was the best of all the QBs. "Release, arm talent, grit, toughness, playmaker," said an AFC executive who ranked Corral No. 1. "I think he's a starting quarterback in the league." Said another AFC scout: "He quietly might be the top guy. Who knows about the scheme and everything, but it seems like he's got enough instincts, accuracy, arm for people to get behind."
Yet, Corral is polarizing, both on and off the field. Start with the high-speed Ole Miss offense. "It is Lane Kiffin gimmick s---," an AFC quarterbacks coach said. "I know the numbers and the completion percentage is high (69.2% the past two seasons under Kiffin) -- it is a lot of like bubbles and short little quick things. I can see you where you could easily say, mechanically and aesthetically, man, [Corral] can look really pretty throwing it. It's a nice tight spiral, he turns the ball over. And look, he's athletic, man. He gains yards running for it. [But] he has some accuracy issues. Even the ones that are completions are back-hipped or a little off. He's the type of player that I could put together 25 plays and you'd be like, well s---, let's sign him. And I could put another 50 plays [together] and you'd say no f---ing way."
Reviews were mixed on the football portions of Corral's pre-draft interviews with teams; some say Corral struggled with recall on basic concepts and protections, while others say there were no major issues. "A lot of what Lane did with him was get to the perimeter quick or take a (deep) shot. There wasn't a lot of progression reads, and that's a fact of the offense," an NFC scout said. "He's got an odd little motion where he's really trying to aim it and there's not a lot of natural anticipation and ball placement. But you saw way more turnovers in 2020 than 2021 (cutting his interception total from 14 to five), so he definitely cleaned that up. He's got the moxie and [is] the competitor you want. Taking him in the first round is kinda scary. But once he gets out of the top 20, people will be like, f--- it."
Corral's toughness and competitive nature are unquestioned. (Look no further than his decision to play in the Sugar Bowl, where he suffered a significant high ankle injury that prevented him training for the combine; he threw at his March 23 pro day instead.) But his smaller build -- he bulked up to 212 pounds on his 6-1 5/8 frame before the combine -- is a consideration for teams, especially with his fearless playing style, even if he's certain to scale back his bruising running approach in the NFL. "He's got a strong arm. His accuracy's all over the place. Heavy RPO (offense)," another AFC exec said. "I am less worried about all the s--- in his background, because I do think he's tough as s---, he's a leader. It's just the accuracy, the small frame, he's hurt. He's a little man."
There was more background work required on Corral than any other quarterback -- and most other players -- in this draft for a multitude of reasons. The scrap with Wayne Gretzky's son that led to Corral's transfer in high school. The commitments to USC and Florida before finally choosing Ole Miss. Unreliability on and off the field early in his time at Oxford. Corral told CBSSports.com that he grappled with "a depression" in the early part of his college career, but that he realized in 2020 he wanted to make a change because "I got tired of feeling like that. Just tired of making excuses. I got tired of having vices for my problems, like drinking. It f---ed with me. I don't even drink anymore."
Said an AFC executive whose team has done background work on Corral: "It's not clean. I don't think it's deal-breaker. It's just a lot of immaturity, Joe College kind of stuff early in his career. Doing things college guys do off the field, and then on the field, just not what you want out of a quarterback, prep-wise." But Corral won over coaches and teammates at Ole Miss, where it's hard to find anyone to say a bad word about the person, player and leader he is now. "Malik Willis is talented, but I think Matt's probably the most talented overall -- and the guy who's actually done it," another NFC scout said. "He's got a big arm. He's tough as s---. Guys like him. He's a real guy -- like a dude. And it's not fake. He relates well with everybody. He's got leadership to him that way. Guys respond to him. And he cut down on the turnovers this year. Managing a game is paramount. He might have the most upside out of all of them."
