2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Western Kentucky WR Malachi Corley

From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Western Kentucky WR Malachi Corley.

#11 MALACHI CORLEY, WR, WESTERN KENTUCKY (R-JUNIOR) — 5105, 207 LBS.

Senior Bowl Invitee

MEASUREMENTS

*Pro Day Measurables/Numbers

THE GOOD

— Great size and bulk for the position
— Possesses good play speed and explosiveness
— Gets up to top speed quickly after the catch
— Physical receiver that can beat press coverage
— Menace after the catch, having an aggressive running style
— Stout, compact frame makes it hard to bring his down to the ground
— Arm tackles won’t bring him down
— Has impressive contact balance at the position
— Capable of handling carries in the backfield and jet sweep counters
— Has experience going in motion a lot in WKU’s offense
— Can handle jet sweeps and screen passes well, getting the ball quickly into his hands
— Capable of winning on in-braking routes thanks to his blend of quickness and physicality
— Showed the capability of running more of a route tree and separating at the Senior Bowl
— Played all over the formation in college
— Has strong hands at the catch point

THE BAD

— Lacks that true second gear of speed as well as twitchiness as a route runner
— Can struggle to separate at times from coverage when they get into his chest
— More of a gadget receiver in college than a prototypical outside playmaker
— Had plenty of schemed-up touches and quick hitters rather than running nuanced routes
—Could be pegged as a slot-only receiver at the next level
— Will see an increased level of competition/tackling at the next level

BIO

— Redshirt Junior prospect from Orange City, FL
— Born March 21, 2022 (age 21)
— Rated as a two-star recruit, played basketball and football
— Committed to Western Kentucky as a cornerback but moved to wide receiver
— Played in nine games in 2020 and caught six passes for 65 yards
— Played in all 14 games in 2021 and caught 73 passes for 691 yards and seven touchdowns
— Started all 14 games in 2022 and had 101 catches for 1,295 yards and 11 touchdowns, also had 11 carries for 87 yards
— Started 12 games in 2023 and caught 79 passes for 984 yards and 11 touchdowns
— 2× first team All-CUSA (2022, 2023)

TAPE BREAKDOWN

Malachi Corley was an overlooked recruit coming out of Campbellsville High School in Kentucky, but he quickly made himself into a productive player at the college level and a future NFL draft prospect. After a quiet true freshman season impacted by COVID-19, Corley became a constant in the Hilltoppers’ offense, going over 1,200 receiving yards in 2022 and scoring 11 receiving touchdowns in back-to-back seasons.

When you pop in the tape on Corley, you see a thick, stout receiver that has been dubbed “The YAC King”, and for good reason. Corley is a beast after the catch, having the blend of size, speed, strength, and physicality to pick up yards after the catch in chunks. He is a strong receiver that is hard to bring down on contact as you can see in the play below, running through the attempted tackle after catching the screen pass along the sideline, taking the short pass 70 yards to the house for the score.

Corley possesses impressive contact balance for a receiver, having the running style more suited for a running back. Watch this play in the same game where Corley catches the short pass over the middle on the drag route and runs toward the sideline, staying upright on his feet and keeping himself from going out of bounds as the defender goes low at his legs, tight-roping the boundary upon contact and keeps his path toward the end zone, getting in for the score.

Western Kentucky utilized Corley’s skillset to their advantage, getting him the ball quickly with room to run. Watch the plays below where Corley gets the ball on a quick screen pass to the flat, getting upfield in a hurry in the first clip with blockers out in front as he powers his way to a first down. In the second clip, we see Corley do the same thing in the red zone, getting good blocks from his teammates as he puts his shoulder down and powers his way through an attempted tackle into the endzone for the touchdown.

Corley runs like a running back with the ball in his hands, playing with a certain demeanor that invites contact. He is almost impossible to bring down by one defender by himself as he continually churns his legs on contact. Watch this rep where Corley catches the screen pass and gets upfield, running through one tackler as he gets brought down by another, losing his helmet at the end of the play as multiple Buckeyes rally to bring him down.

Corley is built like a running back, and he was utilized like one as well by Western Kentucky. They utilized him on the jet sweep as well as on tap passes as we see on this rep where the quarterback gives Corley the ball on a tap pass counter ran between the right guard and right tackle, getting upfield and picking up decent yardage up the middle.

Corley has a feel for finding the soft spots in coverage and the ability to weave his way between defenders as he gives his quarterback an open target. Watch this rep below of Corley running between the box safety and the cornerback in coverage, gliding through while on his jet motion to get to open grass, catching the ball in-stride as he gets upfield and picks up the first down.

One of the main concerns surrounding Corley is his overall lack of usage as a traditional wide receiver in college, getting most of his yards on schemed-up screen passes and quick hitters. Still, Corley has shown that he can be a capable route runner at receiver, having put on a clinic down in Mobile at the Senior Bowl. Below is a complication of reps from 1-on-1s with opposing defensive backs where we see Corley separate with his pure strength by chucking defenders off his frame at the line as well as quickness, releasing from coverage with good footwork to shake to coverage across from him.

CONCLUSION

Malachi Corley will be considered just a gadget receiver by some evaluators but also a dangerous weapon by others, thanks to his elite traits after the catch. He is a physical pass catcher who may not excel the same way other receivers do down the field but rather do most of his damage near the line of scrimmage. He has the traits to develop into more of a nuanced route runner as he gets into an NFL playbook while winning on short crossers, screens, and other quick routes that get him the ball in space to challenge opposing defenses by getting him to the ground.

When coming up with a pro comparison for Corley, San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel sticks out as a receiver with a nearly identical frame and play style. Samuel starred at South Carolina before coming to the league, having a similar dense build that made him a threat after the catch. He ended up thriving in Kyle Shanahan’s offensive system, being used as a dangerous YAC receiver near the line of scrimmage as well as an occasional running back, pressing defenses with his ability to beat them on the ground as well as through the air.

Corley has the exact same skill set and should be used in a similar fashion by whatever offense drafts him. The Pittsburgh Steelers could use another slot receiver, and Corley’s physical play style and YAC ability is also similar to A.J. Brown, who used to play under new OC Arthur Smith. Should Pittsburgh want to improve in the YAC department next season, Corley would be an ideal target as he could be used in the passing game as well as adding another element to Pittsburgh’s rushing attack.

Projection: Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 8.0 Potential Starter/Good Backup (Third Round)
Games Watched: at Buffalo (2023) at Ohio State (2023), at Troy (2023), Senior Bowl (2023)