4 major observations from Panthers QB Matt Corral’s NFL debut

Carolina Panthers WR praises Matt Corral’s mentality

It’s easy to become slightly disengaged for any player in Matt Corral’s situation this offseason. Playing third or even fourth fiddle in the Carolina Panthers quarterback room is tough for a player who had things all his own way in college, but the player’s mentality is coming across in a positive fashion since the organization traded up to secure his services at No. 94 overall.

This was something that didn’t go unnoticed by wide receiver Keith Kirkwood, who had a nice day at the Washington Commanders but was keen to heap praise on Corral for his engagement and remaining poised in difficult circumstances to lead his team to victory down the stretch.

"“What I love about him is his poise, trying to learn from all different aspects. In the first half of the game, he was locked in. I was standing right next to him, and he’s clued into every single play, making his reads and acting as if he was in the game. That’s one of the things I love about Matt; he always wants to learn. Obviously, that situation in the fourth quarter, things were chaotic, but he still tried to find a way.”"

It’s a work in progress, obviously. And much will depend on just what the Panthers end up doing with Sam Darnold in the event Baker Mayfield wins the starting job as expected.

Corral probably won’t see the field in 2022. Nor should he if the signal-caller isn’t ready.

However, keeping this frame of mind moving forward is only going to assist his initial development.