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Matt Corral Could Be Next Russell Wilson In Right System

With the proper coaching and right players around him, former Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral could be another Russell Wilson.

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Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss Rebels

The rarity of Russell Wilson’s play is hard to even define. Since 2012, the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks has run around like a mad man and created plays with his feet just as much, if not more, than with his arm.

Nobody is supposed to do that with all those monsters on the defensive side of the football in the NFL, right? Well, Wilson has done it. Now, maybe there’s a possible NFL Draft pick that could at least be considered similar to Wilson, and he comes by way of the Ole Miss Rebels.

Many pundits pinned Matt Corral in the preseason to be the NCAA’s most pro-ready passer. The signal-caller for the Rebels racked up over 3,000 yards to go along with 20 passing touchdowns and 11 rushing touchdowns in his senior season. 

While his passer rating fell from 177 in his junior year to 155, as well as his touchdown count from 29 to 20, he was able to significantly cut down on his turnovers as he reduced his interception total from 14 to 5 in that same time. There are a lot of positives to the California native’s game, but some scouts still aren’t sold.

Corral LSU

At just 6’2”, Corral is considered a bit smaller than the prototypical NFL signal caller. His slight stature has not impacted his ability to throw the deep though, as he has shown above-average arm strength completing multiple passes well over 30 yards in the air. 

Corral often used play-action to set up these bombs and completed them at the second-highest rate of all FBS quarterbacks (48%). Scouts like his ability to make quick decisions and his knack for ball retention, as he would prefer to take a sack than force up a potential interception. There’s also the following quote to consider from an NFL scout.

According to NFL.com, one AFC team’s scouting director believes that “Corral is a better pure quarterback than either [Pickett or Willis].” Corral’s ability to use his feet, like Wilson, is also of note.

Russell Wilson 2021 Pro Bowl

The Rebel QB has shown solid athleticism, clocking in at 4.80 s in the 40-yard dash, as well as a natural ability for finding holes in the defense when forced to run. The big knocks on Corral are his size, his perceived recklessness while running, and Ole Miss’s heavy reliance on run-pass options (RPO’s) during his tenure in Oxford, Miss., something many NFL experts believe could hide weaknesses in his game.

The Ole Miss offense utilized more play-action passes than any other team in the country last season (61% of their throws) which is something that concerns NFL teams who aren’t as keen on betting their franchise’s hopes on an RPO-style quarterback. 

These critiques are eerily similar to the warnings that surrounded Super Bowl champion and the nine-time Pro Bowler, Wilson, in the 2012 Draft. Could Corral be another diamond in the rough waiting for the right team to dust him off and bring him home?

Matt Corral 3

While it might seem like there’s a world of difference between Corral and Wilson now, this was not always the case. Wilson is even smaller than Corral at 5’11”, a stat that NFL scouts ensured would result in a short-lived career for the recently traded Denver Broncos quarterback. Despite his size, Wilson has shown no problems seeing over the line or completing passes downfield across his 10 NFL seasons.

In addition, the passing stats from Wilson and Corral’s junior seasons are almost identical as well as their focus on bringing down their interception count in their senior years (Corral from 14 to 4, Wilson from 14 to 5). Although not considered a franchise changer coming out of Wisconsin, Wilson went on to enjoy wild success with the Seattle Seahawks and is now geared up to do the same in Denver. 

One reason that the perennial Pro-Bowler achieved so much so quickly is that he was brought into the right system at the right time. Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” defense held teams to such low point totals that the Seahawks were able to rely on their run game and scripted rollouts for Wilson where he could take advantage of his accuracy on the move.

Matt Corral Ole Miss vs LSU

This combination served up a Super Bowl victory for Seattle in 2014, Wilson’s second season with the organization. While Wilson fell to the third round of his draft, Corral is projected to go in the late first round. Which teams have the system in place for Corral to succeed sooner rather than later? Who better to take on the Russell Wilson 2.0 project than the Seattle Seahawks themselves.

Picking ninth in the upcoming draft’s first round, Seattle could benefit from taking a long look at Corral. While they received quarterback Drew Lock in the deal that sent Wilson to Denver, do not think that any NFL executive is sold on Lock as a career starter. 

Matt Corral against Florida (Josh McCoy, Ole Miss Athletics)

Considering the Seahawks are already trying to work a new field general into their offense, it could provide the perfect opportunity to bring in the former Rebel to a competition situation where he could prove his worth or learn the offense while Seattle trudges along with Lock under center.

While Wilson was at the helm for Seattle, they found most of their throwing success when using play-action to set up the long ball. Although the 2021 season saw Seattle drift towards a more pass-heavy spread offense (to the tune of not-so-great results), drafting Corral could be just the kickstart they need to get back to their old ways. 

Seattle does, however, have other significant needs they could fill at the nine spot, such as a tackle to shore up their offensive line, meaning Corral could slide to somewhere in the twenties where teams like Pittsburgh and Tennessee might snag the Ole Miss decision maker at a bargain price.

Mississippi Rebels quarterback Matt Corral (2) leads the team onto the field before a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Both the Steelers and Titans have formidable rushing attacks behind runners Najee Harris (PIT) and the seemingly unstoppable Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans. 

Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin and Tennessee’s Mike Vrabel are both player-friendly head coaches in the mold of Seattle’s Pete Carrol, which could be a big advantage when coaching a player like Corral. These two teams could also be realistic landing places for the 2021 Outback Bowl MVP Corral, where the play-action passer would fit right in.

The 2022 NFL Draft’s uncertainty will continue to grow over the next two weeks as we anxiously await the first selection from Las Vegas. The first round will begin on Thursday, April 28th at 8 EST while the football world watches closely to see where Corral and his fellow NFL hopefuls will begin their professional careers. 

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