Matt Corral Falls Out of First Round in Latest Pro Football Focus Mock Draft

Pro Football Focus released a new two-round mock draft Monday morning, and it is full of interesting predictions, to say the least. Former Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral is the fourth quarterback taken, but he is not drafted in the first round.

In recent mock drafts, we have seen Corral drafted in the Top 10 and towards the end of the first round. In this mock, Corral is selected in the second round with the 49th overall pick.

Matt Corral

Let's take a look and see why Pro Football Focus has Corral sliding to the second round:

49. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: QB MATT CORRAL, OLE MISS REBELS

Yes, New Orleans has Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton, but at this point it’s safe to say neither of the two is a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback. So, the Saints should keep swinging on a quarterback, even if those quarterbacks carry some risk — as Corral does.

The Ole Miss product spent his career in one of the most quarterback-friendly offenses in college football. And while it does him no favors when it comes to projecting him to the NFL, he was consistently on time, he delivered accurate throws and he showed off an exceptional deep ball.

Corral’s 2021 campaign left a lot to be desired in some aspects, but some of this has to do with injury. His 2021 season took a nosedive mid-season when injury struck the quarterback and his top wide receivers. He fought through his ailments and played, but the output wasn’t up to his standards.

Corral’s 91.1 PFF grade through Week 7 was the fourth-highest in the FBS, but that mark fell 20 grading points to 70.6 from Week 8 on. Then, when he finally got healthy for the Sugar Bowl, he suffered an unfortunate ankle injury that knocked him out of the game.

Adjusting to the far more complex reads will be a massive learning curve for Corral. If he ever becomes an NFL starting quarterback, he will have to sit for a bit and learn, and New Orleans can provide that situation.

Matt Corral

The biggest reason Corral is falling to pick 49 in this mock is that he ran a quarterback-friendly offense under Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, and the reads he will have to make in the NFL are a tad more complex.

Going to the New Orleans Saints, however, allows Corral to sit and learn behind quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton. Both Winston and Dalton have become solid veterans in the NFL and could provide helpful guidance to Corral as he adjusts to the speed of the NFL.

Matt Corral

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Rebels? Click Here.

Follow The Grove Report On Facebook and Twitter.