Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral is the betting favorite to be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, according to odds released Monday by Bookies.com.
Corral is +300 to go to the Steelers, atop a list that exclusively contains quarterbacks. Pitt’s Kenny Pickett (+350), North Carolina’s Sam Howell (+450), Liberty’s Malik Willis and Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder (+500) round out the top five. The rest of the draft field checks in at +475
The Steelers have been aggressively scouting quarterbacks in the pre-draft process, meeting with six at the Senior Bowl, including four of the top five options. General manager Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin were at the pro days of four of the five, with just Colbert in attendance for Howell.
While the Steelers are clearly interested in quarterbacks, their No. 20 overall pick doesn’t necessarily perfectly line up with the talent available. On Monday, Pro Football Network had the Steelers trading up into the top 10 to land Willis.
On the other hand, NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks didn’t have a single team in the first round taking a quarterback. Sharp Football had the Steelers getting Pickett with the No. 52 overall pick in the second round in a quarterback-only mock draft last week.
The Steelers are considered among the betting favorites to land Pickett and Willis, according to odds released last week by BetOnline.ag. They expect Willis to be the first quarterback taken in the draft.
Corral threw for 3,349 yards as a senior at Ole Miss in 2021, with a 155.3 passer rating. He threw for 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. An ankle injury suffered in the Sugar Bowl has kept him from fully participating in the pre-draft process.
Corral said at the 2022 NFL Combine that NFL executives told him they supported his decision to play in the game, even though it resulted in an injury. Pickett did not play in his bowl game, while Howell, Ridder and Willis also did.