On Wednesday, Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral -- one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2022 NFL draft -- held his pro day for scouts and evaluators. It followed Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett's impressive Monday workout and Liberty quarterback Malik Willis' solid Tuesday throwing session, capping off a three-day stretch of pro days featuring some of the best signal-callers in the class. I've been on hand to see all three of them throw.
Corral, who has been recovering from an ankle injury, didn't run during his workout, but he did go through a scripted throwing session. He is currently my No. 4 quarterback in the class, behind Willis, Pickett and Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder (who will have his pro day on Thursday). It will be interesting to see how the QBs come off the board next month. Evaluators for QB-needy teams now have plenty of tape, the Senior Bowl, the combine and pro day workouts to help inform the way they stack this class.
Here are some of my big takeaways from Corral's, Willis' and Pickett's pro day workouts and what comes next for the talented quarterbacks.
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Willis | Pickett | Corral
Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss
Ranking: No. 34 (QB4)
Corral's ankle looked good
This was the biggest question coming into the Ole Miss pro day. Corral injured his right ankle in the Rebels' bowl game in January, and he did not work out at the combine earlier this month. But while I'm not sure if he's back to 100%, he certainly looked completely comfortable in his movements on Wednesday. It was originally expected that he'd run the 40-yard dash and even do some shuttle drills, but Corral ultimately just did the throwing portions. I'm not surprised. Why do the shuttle work as a quarterback coming off an ankle injury?
So much of Corral's game is quick movement in the pocket and getting a fast release, and it was great to see him smoothly rolling out left and right. The pro day checked the biggest box that it needed to check for Corral. His movement on that ankle looked sharp.
Suddenness is his plus trait
Each of these three quarterbacks have something that stands out. Pickett is the most mechanically sound. Willis has the arm. And Corral has an incredible quickness to his game. There is real urgency in his drops from center. He gets into his drop in a hurry and does so with a lot of depth.
Then once Corral is in the drop, he has a lightning-fast release. I haven't seen him play live in two years now, but Wednesday provided a good reminder of just how fast he gets the ball out. With his quick footwork and swift delivery, it's no surprise that he has excelled with run-pass options and play-action. It's like watching an NBA point guard run an offense. He distributes the ball so quickly and cleanly.
Additional throwing paid a price
Before his workout featuring nearly 70 throws even began, Corral threw roughly 50 passes during other position groups' drills. Normally there is another quarterback on hand to handle that portion of the pro day, but Corral was asked to take that on before he himself was in the spotlight.
Yes, it was mainly short passes, but it's still quite a bit of additional work. And it seemed like it showed up a bit in his own workout. There was definitely some arm fatigue in terms of ball placement. Corral is wired to do everything fast and with tempo, and some combination of the extra passing and an emphasis on his mobility might have put a bit too much strain on him. Some throws toward the end of his session were just a bit off target.
I'll mention, though, that Corral did display some good arm strength on Wednesday. He didn't throw as many deep balls as Pickett or Willis, but the ball was snapping off his hand with velocity.
A potential issue to watch
Corral had a few noticeably errant throws to his left side, when he had to open his hips. His elbow dropped and got underneath, and the ball just wasn't on the mark. Two such throws in particular stood out there.
Was he just a little tired? Does he still not totally trust that right ankle? Corral has to drive off that leg to make those throws to the left side, so maybe it was just some remnants of that injury. I need to go back to the tape and see if it's a consistent issue and if it shows up at all there. But there was definitely a pattern when he missed on Wednesday. His ball placement overall was much more precise to the right side and middle of the field.
Four coaches in Oxford
The Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Tomlin, Atlanta Falcons' Arthur Smith, Carolina Panthers' Matt Rhule and Dallas Cowboys' Mike McCarthy were there to see Corral throw. The quarterback took some time to talk with Rhule and Tomlin, too. Thirty-one teams had some form of representation, with the Los Angeles Rams being the odd one out there.
Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
Ranking: No. 21 (QB1)
Willis is only getting better
One thing that certainly stood out during Willis' 72-throw scripted workout: His concern areas are showing improvement. He has clearly been working on his footwork, ball placement and anticipation. The consistency we saw in those areas Tuesday was better than what we saw on tape, especially with ball placement.
Now, no NFL scout is going to throw out what's on his college tape for a throwing session against air, but evaluators see that improvement and get excited about the room for growth. Willis hasn't maxed out in terms of how accurate he can be as a quarterback. The potential -- which we've continually pointed to with Willis -- is immense.
Like Pickett's turn on Monday, it was an outstanding throwing session. The tape shows that he can make every throw, but we saw in the workout that he has the chance to be much more steady..
Mechanics still need work, though
Yes, there are still some mechanical issues for him to work through, and I'd like to see more urgency in his drops from center. He needs to get more depth in his drops and really drive backward, a problem that we saw at Liberty and still see today. And while the footwork is getting better and better, consistency is still something to watch there. But overall, the signs of progress were promising and exactly what scouts wanted to see.
I also noticed that Willis was purposely trying to change arm angles a lot Tuesday, and it didn't seem natural. He attempted Patrick Mahomes-esque deliveries at times from different arm slots, trying to showcase that ability, but it just looked forced. Still, we know Willis is talented outside of the pocket. There is plenty of off-platform, second-reaction ability on tape. But the unnatural delivery stood out to me on Tuesday, even if that is nitpicking a fantastic workout.
Wow, he has an arm
This isn't anything new. Willis has the strongest arm in the class, and he drives the ball with velocity. We've known that for a while and have seen it on display through each step in the pre-draft process. But that doesn't mean it isn't still impressive to watch. The way Willis is able to just flick his wrist and throw deep balls with energy on them was an exclamation point on the whole workout. The ball just explodes off his hand. And he was accurate throwing deep for the most part, with strong ball placement.
The full-field segment of the workout -- Willis then moved to some red zone stuff -- was capped off with a ridiculous deep shot from the left hash that traveled 65 yards in the air. Teams that like big-armed quarterbacks are going to be very, very interested in Willis.
Pittsburgh is keeping a close eye
As we saw on Monday at Pitt, the Carolina Panthers' Matt Rhule and Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Tomlin were the only head coaches in attendance. There were, of course, reps from the entire NFL, but these really seem to be the two teams zeroing in on Willis and Pickett, at least when it comes to these pro days. Tomlin also had dinner with Willis on Monday night.
The Steelers are interesting here. Tomlin has stated he wants to bring some mobility to the QB position, and he signed Mitch Trubisky -- who fits that bill -- in free agency. Trubisky could certainly be a bridge to Willis, providing a chance for the prospect to learn behind him before an easy transition. But picking at No. 20, Pittsburgh has to wonder whether Willis will still be there.
If the Steelers like him, they have to weigh the potential for long-term success against the risk and cost of moving up, should they need to do so. There are rumors about the Detroit Lions being intrigued with Willis at No. 2 (or perhaps a bit down the board if they can move back from No. 2 or up from No. 32). There are a handful of teams in need of a quarterback between pick Nos. 6 and 9, with the Panthers, Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks all lurking. So, how strongly does Pittsburgh feel? Can Willis be the next franchise guy -- the next Ben Roethlisberger? These are important decisions that could ultimately dictate when we see the first QB off the board.
Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
Ranking: No. 22 (QB2)
Pickett has the arm strength
To be clear, arm strength has not been a real concern for Pickett. But it also has never been a standout trait. Watching tape, you wonder if he has the arm to play in every NFL system or if he's a better fit for a West Coast scheme. Can he drive the ball and make all the throws?
Well, Pickett made a point to show he can at his pro day. Quarterbacks normally work up to the deep throws toward the end of their workout scripts. They will hit the intermediate throws for the majority of the session before airing it out at the end. But Pickett jumped right in with a vertical shot on his fifth or sixth throw, connecting on a pass thrown 57 yards downfield. He had roughly 10 throws from within the confines of the pocket that traveled 55-plus yards in the air. (He also mixed in a great deal of middle-of-the-field passes.)
I talked to Pickett for a bit after he finished throwing for the day, and he said that was the main focus for the day. He didn't want to leave any doubt among evaluators that he has the arm to hit every throw asked of him.
I saw three of his games live over his career, and I've watched probably 40 of his 49 career starts on tape. But this was still a really good setting to see arm strength in particular, standing nearby on the field as he released the ball. I'm looking to see how much zip is on the ball from release until the time the ball arrives at the target. Is it coming off his hand with velocity? Are the passes sailing or dying at the end? And I'm looking at all of that through various kinds of throws -- deep shots, out routes, intermediate in-breakers, etc. You get a strong sense of that when you're that close, and Pickett's throws were all hitting the receivers' hands with tremendous energy.
Pro day workouts are but a small part of the puzzle, and you can't get overexcited about a quarterback throwing against zero defense on a predetermined script of throws. But with that said, Pickett was impressive. I have definitely undervalued his arm strength. You want to know your quarterback can make every throw and drive the ball, and he showed that he has the arm talent to do so.
His approach to the process is impressive
Pickett has 49 starts of tape on his résumé, chose to compete at the Senior Bowl (and stay all week long) and opted to participate in all of the throwing sessions of the combine. Now he comes back to Pitt and performs at his pro day. It might not seem like a lot, but for someone who is already the presumed first quarterback off the board (and likely no less than the second), it says something to scouts and evaluators that he's out there again. It'd be very easy to skip these parts of the workout, but Pickett has approached this process exactly how NFL teams want it done. It drives home what I've heard about his hardworking attitude.
I mentioned this after the combine, too, but it's worth pointing out that Pickett keeps putting on a show during these pre-draft events even while the narrative is directed to his hand size. He is able to put all of that aside and just go throw the ball. He keeps resetting the narrative by delivering on the field. And for those wondering, his hand size measured 8 5/8 inches at his pro day, a bit bigger than it did at the combine. (Whether the hand size concerns impact his draft position and/or NFL success remains to be seen.)
Two head coaches in attendance
I was mildly surprised by the lack of NFL head coaches at Pickett's pro day. Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule was one of two NFL head coaches on site. He spent 10 minutes talking to Pickett one-on-one. Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was the other head coach in attendance. All 32 teams had some form of presence, and four GMs were there: Scott Fitterer (Panthers), Kevin Colbert (Steelers), Terry Fontenot (Atlanta Falcons) and Martin Mayhew (Washington Commanders).
The offseason's quarterback movement still hasn't stopped, but I'm starting to wonder where these quarterbacks could end up going in April. In the top 10, Detroit (No. 2), Carolina (No. 6), Atlanta (No. 8) and Seattle (No. 9) all have needs, but it still seems too early to take any of these signal-callers, including Pickett. The demand is there, but the supply really isn't. Then the demand stalls as the supply picks up, with a long stretch of picks involving teams that have no immediate need for a QB before the draft hits the Steelers at No. 20.
What does this all mean? Will the Panthers bite early at No. 6, or perhaps try to move down? Will the Steelers get lucky and land one of the top two passers without having to move up from No. 20? And will Pittsburgh opt for the local guy it knows and has seen up close, or go for the high-upside prospect who might need a little more development time (Malik Willis)? Even without a top-five quarterback this year, the first round could be an interesting one for quarterbacks.