With the 9th overall pick in the 2022 Bleeding Green Nation community mock draft, Seattle Seahawks GM chewy wellington selects …

Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss

Lots of good options on the board here and a bit surprised it fell the way it did. Gave some consideration to going outside the box and selecting Matt Araiza aka THE PUNT GOD, but ultimately went against. Everyone loves a punter who can change the field, but heck, modern stats say we should be going for it more often on fourth down. Pete Carroll is already a bit of coward and I’m not giving him more ammo on that front.

So, with punter off the board where do we go? Kicker. Just kidding. I thought long and hard about Hamilton, Stingley and Cross, but just could not get my mind there. I like Hamilton a lot but we’re already invested in Adams. Seems like a weird position to double dip. I can’t really think, off the top of my head, of any team that played two allpro safeties. Maybe they exist. I don’t know what version of Stingley we are likely to see. We are too far removed from 2019 for me to trust his play. Charles Cross was a definite option. I just trust my ability to pick o-line a little later in the draft or maybe trading for Andre Dillard (jk). I also thought about going WR, which would free me up to draft DK. But, what’s the point in that? DK is a beast, and we are going to need him for the rebuild. He’s a guy to build around, not send out. I’d rather pay him than gamble on a rookie. I love Jordan Davis but I don’t think his pass rush is strong enough to warrant a top 10 pick. Ok, enough of my stream of consciousness. On to the show…

In my opinion, there is really only one option – Qb. I’d like to tell you I fell completely in love with one of the QB options. I didn’t. I was thrilled to see Pickett go off the board early. He and his tiny hands can flop in Carolina. You only find yourself in the Top 10 so often (hopefully) and when you do, you need to make an impact. Simply put, QB is the most important position on the field. Take a look at this article. Need the TL;DR version? Qbs are about 2x as valuable as the next position, which is WR or CB, depending upon the metric. The numbers are staggering. The simple fact of the matter is that you must hit on a quarterback to win in this league, but we all know that without looking at stats. The days of Trent Dilfer winning a Super bowl are likely gone.

Factoring into my analysis is that when teams take the swing on a QB they are no longer doubling down on bad returns. I think this is important. Historically once a team invested a top 10 pick in a QB they stayed on that ride until the wheels fell off. Now, we see teams moving on. Look at the Cardinals – they invested a high pick in Rosen and moved right on to Murray. The Jets moved on from Darnold (and will likely have to move on from Wilson at some point). The bears moved on from Trubitsky (talk about an off-season signing I don’t understand). And if the QB stinks, we’re probably back in the top ten anyways. I wanted Malik Willis. I think he is the best QB in the draft. But he went one pick ahead of us. In an ideal world, once Willis came off the board, I am trading back.

Oh well. Such is the life of a virtual GM. Outside the number 1 pick, we all must have a contingency plan. The leaves me with two options, IMO – Matt Corral or Desmond Rider. (PS. I hate Sam Howell as a prospect and don’t see Carson Strong as a round 1 guy).

And now, on to the pick….With the 9^th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft the Seattle Seahawks select Matt Corral, Quarterback, Ole Miss.

Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Matt Corral gives you arm strength combined with mobility. He can make all the throws and has plus accuracy. He’s got poise in the pocket and has gotten better year over year. Want to run some RPO? Corral is the best RPO prospect by a mile. Carroll has already shown his ability to build up a mobile QB. Time to do it again. Remember, Seattle is now pretty much in a full rebuild, so Corral will have some time to grow. And DK is a nice safety blanket to start.

Let’s talk about the strengths. As DraftWire explains:

Corral possesses the perfect skillset for the RPO offense he ran at Ole Miss, with his quick release, cannon arm, and shifty scrambling ability. He used these as a true dual-threat quarterback in his last year at Ole Miss, combining for 31 touchdowns on his way to guiding the Rebels to the Sugar Bowl, a game Corral left early due to injury.

Corral’s confidence and leadership constantly shows up on film, consistently translating to his playstyle. He’s quick and decisive pulling the trigger on his throws, as well as patient when trusting his receivers on developing routes. He hasn’t let his confidence get in the way of being coachable either, as it’s clear he’s progressed each year as a starter, while maintaining that confident competitiveness.

Mobility is also a strong aspect of Corral’s game. He can take QB draws, powers, or stretches, as well use his quickness to extend plays and deliver tight spirals off platform. This may be the most impressive portion of his skill set, but it’s something that will serve him well with the increased speed of the NFL.

His biggest weakness seems to be timing on deep throws. Well, we can certainly work on that. I’ll take a crazy competitive guy with heart.

Need to get more hyped up? Here is 13 minutes of highlights:

Corral is a bit of a gamble, but one we are willing to take. Here’s to hoping he makes all of Seattle’s dreams come true.

As Perry Como sang:

The bluest skies you’ve ever seen in Seattle

And the hills the greenest green in Seattle

Like a beautiful child growing up free and wild

Full of hopes and full of fears

Full of laughter full of tears

Full of dreams to last the years in Seattle

In Seattle

2022 BGN Mock Draft Order

1) Jaguars (HellBentOnHurts): DE Aidan Hutchinson
2) Lions (Friendly Neighborhood Philly Fan): DE Travon Walker
3) Texans (herbalonius): OT Evan Neal
4) Jets (RideHighTide): OT Ikem Ekwonu
5) Giants (Brendanekstrom): CB Ahmad Gardner
6) Panthers (Philliesandthebees): QB Kenny Pickett
7) Giants (Dr.MidnightGreen): DE Kayvon Thibodeaux
8) Falcons (Philly21): QB Malik Willis
9) Seahawks (chewy wellington) QB Matt Corral
10) Jets (tfrank9811)
11) Commanders (Negadelphia Norm)
12) Vikings (Kephas)
13) Texans (Bdawk20rules)
14) Ravens (ablesser88)
15) Eagles (Fly Like An Eagle)
16) Saints (20Safety_Hazard)
17) Chargers (LBCeaglesFan!)
18) Eagles (Phoenix X Minimus)
19) Saints (Georgia_eagle)
20) Steelers (EagleDomiNation)
21) Patriots (Domonate)
22) Packers (Leo Bedio)
23) Cardinals (big DUB)
24) Cowboys (joey2arms)
25) Bills (ItownBallers22)
26) Titans (BrianMcE03)
27) Buccaneers (4133Dave)
28) Packers (The Player Formerly Known as Mousecop)
29) Chiefs (GreenGrampa)
30) Chiefs (Legend of Nick Foles)
31) Bengals (Thedeuce9)
32) Lions (Dtechman44)

Now it’s time for you to vote for who YOU think should be selected next in the 2022 BGN Community Consensus Mock Draft.

1) Jaguars: DE Aidan Hutchinson
2) Lions: DE Kayvon Thibodeaux
3) Texans: OT Evan Neal
4) Jets: OT Ikem Ekwonu
5) Giants: OT Charles Cross
6) Panthers: QB Malik Willis
7) Giants: CB Ahmad Gardner
8) Falcons: QB Kenny Pickett
9) Seahawks: