Seahawks 2022 draft: Matt Corral is a fantastic second round option

With fewer than 10 days remaining before the start of the 2022 NFL Draft, Seahawks fans anxiously await the possibly franchise-altering moves that will be made.

There has been buzz that the team may select a quarterback in the first round (either with its 9th overall selection or by trading down into the middle of the round).  I personally think this isn’t the direction the team takes.

Depending on availability, I think the Seahawks’ first pick will be the clubhouse favorite between Kayvon Thibodeaux (who may not fall that far), Charles Cross or Derek Stingley, Jr.  That being said, one of my favorite targets in the second round (when the Seahawks pick 40th and 41st) is Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral.

Seahawks future quarterback could be Ole Miss’s Matt Corral

Matt Corral in Seattle makes sense to me for multiple reasons, especially if he can be had in the second round.  While he’s recovering from an ankle injury, he has reiterated that he is back to full health and looked good throwing at his pro day.

Corral has the quickest release of any quarterback in this draft class, which I see as a great asset in Shane Waldron’s offensive scheme.  When he’s protected, he’s an accurate thrower.  He is also great on play-action plays, something that the team may be looking to do more often if more weight is put on the running game.

Finally, he has good-sized hands relative to the rest of the signal-callers in the draft, and ball security is something that can’t be understated when coming to play in rainy Seattle.

Corral is directly linked to Pete Carroll in two ways:  he attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School (just down the road from USC’s campus) and was coached at Ole Miss by Lane Kiffin (who was Carroll’s offensive coordinator and eventual replacement as head coach at USC).  He is somewhat small, which is concerning.  He’s also not great when having to leave the pocket, but this shouldn’t prevent the team from bringing him in.

Corral may be higher on front offices’ draft boards than he is going in mocks at this point, but if the Seahawks are lucky enough for him to fall to them at 40, I think they should take a chance.  After all, waiting until the second round (as opposed to the first round) to take a quarterback comes with added flexibility in future years.