5 major observations from Day 3 of Panthers 2022 mandatory minicamp

Carolina Panthers QB Matt Corral taking everything on board

There were flashes of promise from rookie quarterback Matt Corral throughout the team’s mandatory minicamp. The Carolina Panthers feel confident that the third-round pick can become a productive starter over time, with head coach Matt Rhule stating that the “arrow is definitely pointing up” where the Ole Miss product is concerned.

The head coach added that Corral has a lot of hard work ahead to achieve the objectives set by his coaching staff. This is something also recognized by the player, who has been keen to learn from veteran Sam Darnold about how best to go about the process leading up to the 2022 season.

"“(I’m) just picking up on his habits. The way he goes about himself, the way he carries himself – from media, on the field, off the field, certain situations. Taking stuff from him, whatever it is, and trying to implement it into my game. If I feel like it doesn’t fit, then I won’t use it. But there are some things that I take away from him.”"

Corral added that he’ll spend the next few weeks in Florida honing his craft before training camp, which will be an important few weeks for the signal-caller in pursuit of enhancing confidence in his abilities to lead this team moving forward.

Of course, there could be another quarterback to learn off and compete with by that point. But that is something out of Corral’s hands and focusing on what he can control is the best possible chance the first-year-pro has in pursuit of playing time in Year 1 of his professional career.