MATT CORRAL, QB OLE MISS, 2022 ELIGIBLE
The 6’1” 205 lbs. junior QB played a large role in Ole Miss’s thrilling victory over Arkansas. Corral passed for 287 yards and two touchdowns, while also adding 94 yards on the ground along with two more touchdowns. His four total touchdowns helped lead Ole Miss to a 52-51 win on Saturday. He simply would not be denied, even an aerial tackle attempt, could not stop him:
Corral is a tough runner, who shows good strength for a QB with his build. He also possesses above-average speed, which makes him a true dual-threat QB. In 2020 Corral ran for 506 yards and four touchdowns, but is on a more impressive pace this year with 255 yards and eight touchdowns through five games.
As a passer Corral has also shown statistical improvement, most importantly in his TD to INT ratio and passer rating. In 2020 Matt threw 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. This year he has thrown 12 touchdowns and zero interceptions. His yards per attempt are essentially the same, up to 10.3 compared to 10.2 last year. However, in addition to his TD to INT ratio improving, Corral has also bumped up his passer rating from 177.6 to 182.4. Not a huge difference, but it is good to see the improvement.
Corral is making his case for the best draft-eligible QB this year. Spencer Rattler has played poorly, and Sam Howell isn’t having the same success as years past, leaving the top QB spot in 2022 pretty much wide open. Corral could hear his name called early on April 28, and his value as a Devy and Dynasty asset could soar. We have Matt Corral ranked as the Devy QB7 and the QB3 in the 2022 class, but I see that changing soon. After Corral’s big game on a national stage, it will likely be hard to acquire him via trade unless you are willing to pay up big time. For this reason, I see Corral as a “hold” because I believe his value can only rise from here.
KENNEDY BROOKS, RB OKLAHOMA, 2022 ELIGIBLE
After back-to-back 1,000 yards seasons in 2018 and 2019, Kennedy Brooks elected to opt-out of the 2020 season due to Covid concerns. With the addition of Tennessee transfer Eric Gray in 2021, I believe Brooks fell off of many people’s radars. However, after his big game against Texas, he should undoubtedly be on your radar moving forward. Brooks rushed for a whopping 217 yards and two touchdowns. He also put the game on ice with a 33-yard run with just seconds left:
Through six games Kennedy Brooks has established himself as the lead back for the Sooners. He has out-carried Eric Gray 79 to 55 and outgained him on the ground 535 to 282. Lots of people had high expectations for Gray this season, but Brooks has crushed those hopes and dreams. The 5’11” 215 lbs. junior has not been used in the passing game with just two receptions this year, and he had just 20 total in his first two seasons. I am not sure if Brooks is not a capable pass-catcher or if Oklahoma simply prefers to pass to other RBs. I will be making sure to watch Brooks closely at the combine and his pro day to see how he looks as a pass-catcher.
Kennedy Brooks is currently DFF’s Devy RB46, but after our next update, I can almost guarantee you he will be much higher. Similar to the top 2022 QB the top 2022 RB position is still largely up for grabs. Isaiah Spiller and Breece Hall are most analysts’ 1 and 2 but Brooks could sneak into the top-3 conversation. Because he ranked low and has the potential to climb up draft boards, I see Brooks as a “buy”. He was slept on before the season and with just one truly dominant performance in 2021, you can likely still acquire Brooks and reap the rewards later on.
CHRIS OLAVE, WR OHIO STATE, 2022 ELIGIBLE
Chris Olave is loved by many, and he showed you why on Saturday, with an impressive seven-catch, 120 yards, and two-touchdown performance. The Buckeyes blew out the Terrapins 66-17 as Ohio State showed off their passing attack, throwing for 406 yards with Olave having the most of them. However, through six games Olave is currently second on the team in receiving yards with 494, trailing Garrett Wilson’s 546. The Devy community was a bit surprised when Olave decided to come back for his senior year and not enter the 2021 NFL Draft. This may end up being a poor decision as his Junior teammate could end up jumping him in the draft. So despite a big game on Saturday, it is not all sunshine and roses for Olave.
Last season Olave barely edged out Wilson statistically, gaining just six more yards and one more touchdown. With the strong showing from Wilson in 2021, it made sense for Olave to go pro but he decided to stay in school. This is not the end of the world when it comes to draft capital though. The past two years, we have seen a less productive teammate drafted first, with Henry Ruggs drafted before Jerry Jeudy, and Jaylen Waddle drafted before DeVonta Smith. However, I am not a big fan of Olave, and it comes down to one thing, and that he is not an early declare. Between ‘06-‘19 NFL draft classes there were 118 non-early declares selected in the first three rounds. 23.7% of those players have gone one to have a top-24 season. I like to play the odds, and those odds are not very good.
Our rankers have Olave as the Devy WR5 and WR4 in the 2022 class. I, however, will likely not be that high on him come April. As I mentioned above, I do not like non-early declares, and do not feel comfortable ranking a WR with a low probability of success highly. There are always outliers and Olave may be one but I will let someone else take the gamble on him. I see Olave as a “sell”, especially after his big game. Try to sell high while his strong performance is still on people’s minds.
I hope you enjoyed the article! You can follow me on Twitter @RookieWhisper for more content.
