Written By Adam Aniba
This wide receiver draft class is deep and boasts prospects with unique skill-sets.
One prospect has gone under the radar until recently, but during the Western Kentucky pro-day Malachi Corley displayed the type of speed and strength that NFL teams covet.
Malachi Corley
5'11" 215 lbs | WR | WKU
Proj Late 2nd-3rd Rd
Career (49 games)- 259 rec 3,035 yds and 29 TDs (11.7 avg)
'23 (12 games)- 79 rec 984 yds and 11 TDs (12.5 avg)
Background
Corley grew in up Orange City, FL and was a standout football player for Campbellsville High School. Corley played 2-way football lining up at wide receiver and cornerback.
At receiver Corley recorded 1,900 yards from scrimmage with 23 touchdowns. While lining up as a defensive back he had nearly 100 career tackles.
The Campbellsville HS prospect was named a 2-star prospect by ESPN and was initially recruited to play cornerback for Western Kentucky for the 2020 season, but was immediately moved to receiver.
On the year he was active in 9 games in a COVID shortened season, recording 65 yards receiving yards on 6 receptions as a true freshman.
In 2021 Corley recorded 73 receptions for 691 yards and 7 touchdowns, demonstrating his potential ceiling with the nickname "YAC God" given to him by his teammates.
In Corley's 2022 season he played in 13 games and had his best statistical season while at WKU. He finished the year with 90 catches for 1,168 yards with 9 touchdowns with an average of 13.0 yards per reception.
Corley made 1st Team All-Conference USA and was on the Biletnikoff Award Watch list.
As a senior the Campbellsville receiver was active in 11 games. He concluded the '23 season with 75 catches for 959 yards for 11 touchdowns (12.8 yards per catch) and a QB rating when targeted of 117.2.
PROS
Excels gaining yards after the catch, often requiring multiple defenders to bring him down in the open-field.
Displays a second gear in the open-field
Strong hands and extends for catches providing a favorable catch radius
A creature of chaos that thrives against press coverage, most notably when facing physical DBs
Impressive vision in the open filed, which makes him an ideal weapon on gadget plays and can be utilized out of the backfield
CONS
Limited route tree concepts utilized at WKU
Needs to be more deceive coming out of his breaks
Lacks elite ability when it comes to 50/50 jump ball situations
Needs to cleanup footwork, can be too erratic with wasted movement
Might be limited to the slot on the next level, until he proves he can win on the outside consistently
Outlook
The Western Kentucky receiver clocked a 4.45 at his pro day, recorded a 4.08 second short shuttle time and benched an impressive 355 pounds.
The comparison to former Gamecocks and current 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel is warranted. Corley's ability to break tackles and be used in a variety of ways gives offensive coordinators options and should lead to a seamless transition.
He's certainly not at the level of Deebo, but either was Samuel when he came out of S.Carolina.
The Western Kentucky receiver put together impressive back-to-back seasons with over 2,200 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns during that span.
His recent pro-day impressed teams per reports and the Western Kentucky receiver could end up drafted earlier than expected.
*GAMES WATCHED*
9/16/23 vs OSU, 9/23 vs Troy, 10/5 vs Louisiana Tech, 10/24 vs Liberty & 11/18 vs Sam Houston
**CLICK CARD BELOW FOR MORE SCOUTING REPORTS**
