Matt Corral did not get selected as early as what many believed in the 2022 NFL Draft, as he only heard his name in the third round when he was taken by the Carolina Panthers as the draft's 94th overall selection. Nevertheless, finally making it to the NFL brought joy to Corral, who now thinks and feels he's got something to prove.

Via Coral Smith of NFL.com:

“I mean, I had a chip on my shoulder before. But it just got even bigger,” Corral said Friday during Carolina's rookie minicamp. “(Draft night) was for sure, a roller coaster. It was a bunch of mixed emotions. When I got that phone call, I have truly never been happy and sad at the same time. I've never felt that before.”

The Panthers still have Sam Darnold, the team's starter in 2021. But with the arrival of Corral, it's not too far off to imagine that the rookie would be giving Darnold –a former third-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft — a run for his money once training camp begins. There is going to be a quarterback battle in Carolina, as Darnold isn't viewed as a long-time answer under center for the Panthers, who were only 29th in the NFL overall in 2021 with just 17.9 points per game and 32nd in pass completion rate (58.1%).

Corral was the on-field engineer of the Ole Miss Rebels' high-flying offense in 2021, one that averaged 32.0 points per contest and finished 23rd nationally with 272.8 passing yards per game. In four seasons at Mississippi, Corral managed to come up with 8.287 passing yards and 57 touchdowns against 23 interceptions, while also completing 67.3 percent of his passes.

The 23-year-old Matt Corral was the fourth quarterback taken in the 2022 NFL Draft, with Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh Steelers) going first followed by Desmond Ridder (Atlanta Falcons) and Malik Willis (Tennessee Titans).