The NFC South has a trend, and that trend is “the quarterback room isn’t exactly what we pictured when the season ended.” Much like the Falcons, the Panthers made a bid for Deshaun Watson. They struck out, and then decided to not put in a bid on the guy that Watson replaced in Cleveland (Baker Mayfield). Now, they went out and got Matt Corral in the draft. What can we expect from the rookie his first year in the NFL? Should we go out of our way to get him onto our rosters?
FULL CAROLINA PANTHERS DRAFT RESULTS
| Rd. | Pick | Player | Pos. | College |
| 1 | 6 | Ikem Ekwonu | OT | North Carolina St. |
| 3 | 94 | Matt Corral | QB | Mississippi |
| 4 | 120 | Brandon Smith | LB | Penn St. |
| 6 | 189 | Amare Barno | DE | Virginia Tech |
| 6 | 199 | Cade Mays | OL | Tennessee |
| 7 | 242 | Kalon Barnes | CB | Baylor |
Round 3, Pick 94 Overall: Matt Corral, Quarterback, Ole Miss (6’2” 212 lbs)
Depth Chart:
QB1: Sam Darnold
QB2: Matt Corral
QB3: P.J. Walker
TALENT
Well to answer the question from the intro; no. We shouldn’t go out of our way to get him onto our rosters. But that doesn’t mean that he is bad. In fact, Corral was the best quarterback in this class when I first watched them.
When I was watching Matt Corral, I was reminded a lot of a Jimmy Garoppolo-type player with some Ryan Tannehill running game elements. Then I realized I’d seen this before, and this was basically the comparison I put on Zach Wilson last season. Corral ran a ton of RPOs and read options with the Gators, so you get a little bit of a focus on his legs in his college tape. The problem isn’t with his legs, as I said, he already profiles as a capable runner in the NFL since he does a great job of identifying when he should run. This has been an issue that’s repeatedly plagued dual-threat quarterbacks, but Corral has that on lock already. The main issue in the pocket with Corral is that, while he is mobile in the pocket, he has trouble with feel and he has very little pocket clock, which leads to a lot of hurried throws.
Corral has a lot of zip on his ball and has the ability to put enough touch on it to put it on his man. The two main problems with Corral are his deep ball placement and his arm strength. While Corral can sling it short, his deep ball tends to get all over the place. He also tends to miss the ball placement sweet spot on his receivers in the intermediate game, leading to a lot of missed YAC from his playmakers as they twist and contort to catch his passes.
2022 OPPORTUNITY
Matt Corral will start games for the Panthers this year. Sam Darnold isn’t good; he wasn’t good with the Jets and he wasn’t good with the Panthers. Matt Rhule & company are likely on the hot seat, meaning that they will have to go out and give a good, long, hard look at Corral, just to show management that they are trying. They can’t just let Sam Darnold go out there and fire four picks in a game and sit on their hands with a rookie in tow. I do worry about his short-area accuracy and what it might mean for D.J. Moore, but I like what Corral brings as a runner in the limited Baker Mayfield/Ryan Tannehill/Joe Burrow mold.
2022FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
He’ll get a shot at starting, and is a must-pick-up in all 2QB and Superflex leagues when that happens, mostly because he will be a starting quarterback, and those are more valuable than gold in 2QB/SF leagues. But, in 1QB leagues, I’m okay missing out on a big breakout from Corral. If he carries fantasy football value this season, it’s because the weapons around him carry him. Unfortunately, I just don’t see Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore dragging Corral, kicking and screaming, into 1QB league relevance.
TALENT
2021 OPPORTUNITY
2021 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
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