INDIANAPOLIS — Two of the top quarterback prospects attending the NFL Combine had to decide whether to play in a big-time bowl game for their college football programs or use the time to prep for the draft.

Kenny Pickett opted out of the Peach Bowl, upsetting a portion of the Pitt fan base that was ecstatic about the Panthers playing in their most significant postseason game in two decades.

Matt Corral started for Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl, only to be helped to the sideline and carted to the locker room after suffering a scary ankle injury in the first quarter.

In hindsight, Pickett looks smart for avoiding an injury like the one Corral suffered, which kept him from playing in the Senior Bowl and prohibited him from throwing Thursday at the NFL Combine.

Corral, though, isn’t second-guessing his decision to play, which has become a topical question from NFL teams during the draft evaluation process at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“They’ve asked if I regret it,” Corral said. “Absolutely not. I wouldn’t be in that position without those guys. I never thought about opting out until teammates came up to me asking if I was going to play or not. It was never a thought in my mind. I was going to play regardless.”

Corral put a quick end to any speculation he would sit out the Sugar Bowl against Baylor.

“I had to really make it a point to address the team and say I’m all in. … I took pride in being their leader,” he said.

That team-first attitude could weigh in Corral’s favor if the Pittsburgh Steelers elect to take a quarterback with the No. 20 overall pick. Although general manager Kevin Colbert never talks about specific prospects, he has said the organization likes players who remain on campus through the college bowl season.

Pickett and Liberty’s Malik Willis have gotten most of the publicity so far, but Corral hasn’t gone unnoticed by draft experts.

“He’s coveted, and teams are just really interested,” ESPN’s Todd McShay said. “Corral has been under the radar I think because of the injury and no Senior Bowl like all the other quarterbacks.”

Corral’s pre-draft plans took a literal hit when he was sacked by Baylor’s Cole Maxwell. His legs folded awkwardly under him on the play that ended his college career. Corral later returned to the sideline on crutches, but the injury wasn’t as serious as initially feared.

It was diagnosed as a high ankle sprain.

“No breaks, no tears,” Corral said. “Doctors said 6-8 weeks. Thankfully around six weeks, that’s when I started feeling 100%.”

Corral decided to delay showcasing his arm strength and accuracy until Mississippi’s pro day March 24. Still, he elected to attend the NFL Combine to undergo medical testing and interviews with prospective NFL employers. Among the earliest meetings he had here was with the Steelers.

“Teams need to know that I understand the game of football,” he said. “I wanted to make it a point. It’s definitely something I wanted to show — that they knew the ability I had in my head and not just my physical ability.”

Corral’s physical skills were on display in his redshirt junior season at Ole Miss. He completed almost 68% of his passes for 3,349 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions in 13 games. He also rushed for 614 yards, averaging 4.0 yards per carry, and 11 touchdowns.

Those numbers suggest Corral has the mobility the Steelers are seeking in Ben Roethlisberger’s successor. Corral, though, had a penchant for taking big hits — the Sugar Bowl sack aside — and he is aware that most scrambling quarterbacks have short shelf lives in the NFL.

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“It’s understanding I can’t play that way at the next level,” Corral said. “I know I can’t. I think they want to hear me say that. It’s just stop taking the unnecessary hits, get out of bounds when you need to get out of bounds, get down when you need to get down, throw the ball away when you know you can’t make any other plays.

“It’s having them understanding that I know that. I think that helps a lot.”

Generously measured at 6-foot-2, Corral has drawn comparisons to another quarterback who isn’t afraid to run to create plays. It’s a comp that’s listed on his NFL.com bio and will make Steelers fans cringe: Baker Mayfield.

Corral, though, would prefer to be the next Aaron Rodgers.

“Just watching the guy play and making it look effortless,” he said. “From the arm angles, from him making the throws from any platform, from any angles — that definitely is a guy I want to emulate my game after, for sure.”

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