Why Matt Corral’s heartbreaking injury shouldn’t hurt his draft stock

The NFL offseason is nearly impossible to predict, but if we were to make one guarantee for the 2022 sweepstakes we’d bank on the Washington Football Team bringing in a new quarterback.

How they do so, however, is another story. Truth be told, we could envision the front office drafting a highly-touted prospect or making a big push for an established veteran like Derek Carr or Russell Wilson.

A lot of fans in Ashburn have their sights sets on the draft, with Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett and Ole Miss’ Matt Corral topping most folks’ wishlist as the consensus headliners of this largely un-hyped crop of quarterbacks.

No matter which QB tickles your fancy, you likely gasped during Saturday night’s Sugar Bowl when Corral limped off the field. The Ole Miss star was carted to the locker room and later returned to the sidelines sporting crutches.

It’s a gut-wrenching turn of events for Corral, but we have a feeling it won’t have a big impact on his draft stock.

The Washington Football Team should still draft Matt Corral after his injury suffered in the Sugar Bowl.

The idea of drafting a quarterback coming off an ankle injury is troubling, but let’s not forget how much teams adore the fifth-year option on first-round picks. We see it almost every season how important that extra year of evaluation can be when a team still has reservations about a former draft pick.

While Corral could slip to the second or third quarterback taken in April, the idea that he’ll fall out of Round 1 because of this injury is nonsense.

Furthermore, assuming this injury isn’t catastrophic to Corral’s future, what reason would Washington have not to draft him? He might need to refine his reads and progressions before becoming an every-week starter, but his intangibles are arguably the most compelling of any QB in this year’s class.

The 22-year-old’s injury just punctuates why so many touted prospects sit out of bowl games, but that only boosted his stock in our eyes.

“I wouldn’t be in this position without them. I won’t just leave. I know what’s on the other side but I’m gonna give these guys everything I got,” Corral said explaining the decision to play in a meaningless game.

Inject that quote right into our veins. We already knew he was a gamer, but the fact he refused to leave his teammates and coaches hanging in his final game for the school is a testament to his character and leadership.

If that’s not franchise QB material, then what is?

When you couple his on-field production — he led the Rebels to their first 10-win regular season in school history — his eagerness to lead by example and the all-important fifth-year option, it’s silly to think Corral will slide in the draft.

Who cares if Corral is healthy enough to take part in the NFL Combine or Ole Miss’ Pro Day? At this point, scouts have more than enough game film to properly evaluate him. He’s not some small-school prospect that needs a national stage to boost his draft stock. He’s very much a known commodity.

If he’s available when it’s Washington’s turn to draft, they’d be equally silly to let him slip through their fingertips because of a poorly-timed injury.