What NFL Execs Believe Patriots Have In ‘Really Talented’ Matt Corral
Corral missed his entire rookie season due to injury
There’s no doubt about it that the New England Patriots are taking a low-risk chance when it comes to Matt Corral.
The Patriots claimed the Ole Miss product off waivers from the Carolina Panthers on Thursday, and in a blink, New England went from having one quarterback on its roster to now being up to four with Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham signed to the practice squad.
It’s unclear what exactly the Patriots have in Corral, who missed the entirety of his rookie season in 2022 due to a torn Lisfranc ligament after being drafted in the third round. He certainly seems like a project that Bill Belichick and Bill O’Brien wanted to get their hands on, though.
But Patriots fans will have a better idea of what the 6-foot-1, 205-pound signal-caller can bring to the table thanks to three NFL executives and one pro scout dishing details about Corral to Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard and Mike Giardi.
“Really talented, good arm, athletic,” one NFL exec told Bedard. “Pretty average build. Not very big. Coming off a foot injury.”
Another executive went more in depth about what Corral can provide to an offense and believes the Patriots have good insight on the quarterback thanks to O’Brien’s SEC connection.
“Can handle the RPO game. Tough. Blossomed under (Lane) Kiffin. Bigger than Zappe but not big by QB standards,” the executive told Giardi. “Oh, and don’t forget, Bill O’Brien would have some intel of him as they crossed paths in the SEC (Corral played at Ole Miss).”
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But not all reports were as positive as those two. Another NFL exec believes there is plenty for Corral to improve on, which shouldn’t come as a surprise since he was available to be poached.
“Short…mobile. Lacks pocket awareness…quick release,” the exec told Bedard. “Slower processor. Accuracy is average. Decent arm strength. Cali kid persona…great work ethic. Good kid off the field now…has matured. Relies too much on legs. Needs to work hard at winning from pocket. Too small to be a runner in this league.”
Corral did get into all three preseason games prior to this year’s campaign for the Panthers. He completed 28-of-47 (59.6%) of his passes for 249 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. He also was sacked five times.
The last time Corral played meaningful snaps came in his final season at Ole Miss when he completed 67.9% of his passes for 3,349 yards with 20 touchdowns and five touchdowns while also rushing for 614 yards and 11 additional scores.
The Patriots certainly will look to tap into that dual-threat ability, something that has become more commonplace at the position across the league and something Mac Jones doesn’t possesses.
It will be up to Belichick and O’Brien to mold the 24-year-old into what they believe he can become and one NFL scout thinks it could be a good marriage between quarterback and team.
“Way better fit for what the Patriots are trying to do under O’Brien, at least from what I could see in the preseason,” the scout told Giardi. “Twitchy thrower. Can bring the velo(city). Decent feet. Jury is still out on whether or not he’s an NFL quarterback, but I can tell you that the people in Carolina felt much better about how he progressed both on and off the field in the last year, as if the light went on and he realizes what he needs to do to stick in this league.”
