4 QBs in NFL Draft carousel the Philadelphia Eagles must avoid

Injuries and inconsistency might make the Eagles turn blind eyes to Matt Corral.

While the draft is a crapshoot and teams have both similar and dissimilar ways of evaluating targets, here’s a theory that’s never gone away. The Southeastern Conference is the best breeding ground for talent in all of college football. If any prospect’s star shines brightly there, he would have earned it because he’s facing the NCAA’s best competition on a week-in and week-out basis.

Heck, you can look on a struggling Mississippi State or Vanderbilt roster and find future NFL stars. The Eagles did (Fletcher Cox and Darius Slay). That’s part of the reason we’ve been saying Matt Corral‘s name so much.

From 2018 to 2021, this 2021 MVP of the Outback Bowl completed over 67 percent of his passes and threw for over 8,281 yards and 57 touchdowns in 37 career games as a member of the Ole Miss Rebels. Playing in the SEC West means that he had to do that versus Alabama, Texas A&M, LSU, and Arkansas among others.

Why are we placing him on a list of prospects that the Eagles should avoid you ask? There are a couple of reasons.

One, the last time we saw him, he decided to play in Ole Miss’ bowl game, and he suffered a foot injury (and you wonder why these guys sit out). Fortunately, X-rays didn’t find any breaks, and that’s a good thing. Still, and here’s something else to consider, there have been questions about maturity issues and comparisons that have been made to Case Keenum or Taylor Heinicke.

While those are positive signs for a guy that you’re hoping can be a career backup, that isn’t a reason to spend a high draft pick if your team has other needs. There’s a lot to like about Corral, but for now, there’s skepticism. If decisions are being made about whether or not you take him or keep Jalen Hurts, the answer is simple. You absolutely keep Hurts around for another year.