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USATSI

Matt Corral's draft stock rides on his performance against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday. A bold statement, I know. After all, it's just one game, right? 

Well, not really. It's Alabama. And we already know Corral can be very productive against lesser defenses. That was the case last year and through three games in 2021. If he erupts in a contest against Nick Saban's defense (again), you can lock him into the first round. I'm serious. 

If he flops, it will be easy -- and mostly logical -- fuel for naysayers come draft time. Before this colossal showdown, I'm here to provide snippets of what I've noticed from Corral on film this season. 

Before I begin, it's important to know, this is a majorly talented quarterback we're dealing with here. Corral was the No. 4 pro-style quarterback recruit in the country in the 2018 high school class, per 247 Sports. And last year he completed nearly 71 percent of his throws at 10.2 yards per attempt with 28 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. 

Now, let's dive into the film. 

Here, against Louisville, Corral demonstrated the full embodiment of his game. After quickly looking right, he snapped his head back over the middle, located the frontside linebacker and rifled an aggressive throw between both second-level defenders for what amounted to a large gain. 

Timing was critical on that throw. Any hesitation would've led to a pass breakup or interception. Corral knew what to look for, saw it, and pulled the trigger. And the pass was made with proper velocity and just enough air under it to not be thrown directly at the linebacker. 

And the no-holding-back style is the main theme of Corral's game. If he sees an opening -- even if it's minuscule -- he's going to take it. 

Later against Louisville, Corral found an open receiver near the boundary. And once again, there was a second defender intensifying the degree of difficulty of the throw -- this time underneath the throw. 

True to form, Corral didn't hold back and dropped a dime to his wideout for another sizable gain. 

It was another throw that needed to feature perfect velocity and trajectory to be completed. And it did. Gorgeous stuff from Corral. 

Of course I had to showcase a long ball from Corral, it's a staple of all Lane Kiffin's offenses. Against Tulane, after a quick pump fake into the flat in hopes of freezing back-end defenders, Corral uncorked a deep pass down the seam to Jonathan Mingo who had a step on the cornerback covering him. It flew right around 55 yards in the air and could've have been placed any better. 

But I'm not going to lie to you -- Corral's ultra-aggressive style comes with cons too. I'd much rather a quarterback be overly aggressive than overly tentative entering the NFL, but he does need to play smarter when deciding when to let it rip and when the checkdown or scramble are probably better options. 

Here against Tulane, Corral stares down a deep over route but never notices the waiting safety in perfect position to make a play on the football. 

He literally threw it exactly where the safety was positioned before the attempt was made. Can't do that routinely in the NFL. And throws like that are relatively common for Corral. 

In the season-opening win over Louisville, Corral looked for his tight end over the middle after play-action. Except the fake didn't get the linebackers to bite hard, and there was a tiny throwing lane. The short pass had to be made in a hurry while simultaneously having enough air under it to glide over the first linebacker. 

The ball was too high for its intended target and led the tight end directly into linebacker No. 2 who delivered a big hit to the pass catchers exposed midsection. Ouch. 

Here's another good example of how Corral's brazen style can be dangerous. Watch this play a couple times. You'll notice Corral looking right -- where he ultimately throws the football -- at the outset of his drop back. He should see the emphatically sinking linebacker. After peeking to his left, he comes back to the right side of the field and releases a pass with almost no regard for the underneath defender. 

Yes, there was a lane to squeeze the football in. But the linebacker's depth and leaping ability closed that lane in a hurry. In the NFL, plenty of linebackers can make that play, and a handful of them would've snagged an interception. 

Corral is a quality scrambler, too, although I don't view him as a quarterback with enough athletic chops for him to be a weapon in the designed run game or someone who can survive on scrambling alone early in his pro career. NFL defenses are just too damn fast. 

There's plenty of intrigue about what he brings to the field as a mobile, quick-release, aggressive passer. And we'll see how well that style fares against Alabama's perpetually opportunistic defense on Saturday.