Former Ole Miss standout quarterback Matt Corral had an excellent collegiate career at the program, which he parlayed into being drafted in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
He will now compete alongside Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold for the starting quarterback job for the Carolina Panthers.
While it is expected that either Darnold or Mayfield will ultimately win the job given their proven track record in the NFL, it appears that competition may bring the best out of Corral.
When asked about the quarterback competition, he revealed that he would have changed one thing about his collegiate career now if given the chance.
“I took the easy way out because I felt I could play right away,” Corral told the Charlotte Observer about his time at Ole Miss. “Knowing what I know now and trusting my instincts and trusting my work ethic, I would have went to a place that would have made me compete.”
Corral played three seasons as the starter at Ole Miss after sitting his freshman season as a redshirt. After that, he was largely uncontested as the team’s starting quarterback, which he seems to feel was a negative aspect of his college career.
There is definitely value in earning your role as a player, and it seems like he has the right mindset as a young quarterback in the NFL that may be sitting on the bench for a while.
“You can only control what you can control and right now mine is just learning the playbook and putting my best foot forward,” Corral added. “There’s definitely a lot to learn. I’m in a rush but I’m not, if that makes sense.”
It may be a while until he gets on the field for the Panthers, but embracing the quarterback competition and being receptive to the new playbook is certainly a good sign for his NFL career moving forward.
