National Football League

2022 NFL Draft: Ole Miss' Matt Corral savoring the draft experience

Updated Apr. 28, 2022 8:25 a.m. ET

By RJ Young
FOX Sports College Football Writer

Former Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral is one of just 21 players and two quarterbacks who were invited and accepted the NFL’s invitation to attend the 2022 Draft in person.

As he sat back Wednesday, with the sun creating his silhouette in the city and hotel (Caesar’s Palace) that were made to showcase stars, Corral told FOX Sports that he is unfazed by what others might fear.

"My whole mindset about this is I know I’m gonna get drafted," he said. "I know that for a fact. It doesn’t matter if I go first, second, third, fourth, I know I'm gonna get an opportunity. My confidence comes from the time I put in, the work I put in.

"All I need is just one team to take a shot on me, and I promise they’re not going to regret it."

Matt Corral on his preparation for the NFL Draft

RJ Young sits down with former Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral to hear how he has been preparing for the draft and what he has learned about himself in the process.

You can watch the "The No. 1 Ranked Show with RJ Young" on YouTube or subscribe on podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts.

The Green Room, where players await hearing their names called by commissioner Roger Goodell, can be an intimidating and infamous place to await the outcome of the NFL’s four-month-long job interview.

Make no mistake: That is what it has been like for Corral since he played his final college football game at Ole Miss, leading the Rebels to one of their best seasons, with a 10-3 record, an appearance in the Sugar Bowl against Big 12 champ Baylor and a No. 11 ranking in the final Associated Press poll. It’s not enough that he followed a 3,200-yard, 29-touchdown, 14-interception season in 2020 with a 3,300-yard, 20-TD, five-INT season in 2021, along with a seventh-place showing in Heisman Trophy voting.

To be clear, Corral could talk for days about his teammates and what they’ve accomplished. But it's when he must talk about himself that he begins to feel just a bit awkward.

"When you go through this process," Corral said, "you're just talking about yourself. And, for me, that was different. I'm not one of those guys that really talks about myself a lot. I really like to be under the radar and just go about my day. But when you're in these meetings with these teams and these executives, they're gonna want to know you from head-to-toe. So we're going to address every single thing about you."

Matt Corral on the future of Ole Miss football under Lane Kiffin

Matt Corral looks back on his career with the Rebels and shares why he thinks the future is bright for the program, listing a few players on the roster he believes will have huge seasons in 2022.

How he chose to categorize his experiences in college — the good and the bad — revealed a lot about him to the 32 teams that are evaluating his fit with their franchises, some of which are looking for the next CEO of their company colloquially known as an NFL team.

But that part is finished now. Now, Corral is going to embrace this moment, smile at himself, for himself, for his family. Since the day he found out he could make a living playing football, he has wanted to experience this day.

"Why not experience it from head-to-toe?" he said. "Why not? Go through the actual NFL Draft in Vegas. Go through that process and just experience it. You only get drafted once. And I wanted to be able to experience that with me and my family."

Thursday, April 28, 2022 — that’s his day. And it will be his forever.

I love that for him.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast "The No. 1 Ranked Show with RJ Young." Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young, and subscribe to "The RJ Young Show" on YouTube. He is not on a StepMill.