After landing Washington offensive lineman Troy Fautanu in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft Thursday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers checked one box when it came to their biggest needs, that being offensive tackle.
Now, entering Day 2 on Friday in Detroit, the Steelers have a clearer picture of needs with the three Day 2 picks they currently hold at No. 51 overall in the second round and No. 84 and No. 98 in the third round.
One of those needs on Day 2 remains wide receiver. The Steelers saw quite a few receivers come off the board late in the first round, including the likes of LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. to the Jaguars, Xavier Worthy to the Chiefs, Ricky Pearsall to the 49ers — fueling more speculation of a Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel trade — and Xavier Leggette to the Panthers to close the first round.
So, entering Day 2, receiver remains a big need. For Pro Football Focus’ Josh Liskiewitz, the best Day 2 fit for the Steelers is a player they’ve been quite connected to throughout the pre-draft process: Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley.
“The Steelers have a long history of finding productive receivers on Day 2 of the draft and with the Diontae Johnson loss this offseason, they’d do well to go back to the well. Corley’s RB-build and physical playing style make him an absolute pain in the open field, as evidenced by his 56 forced missed tackles in his last two combined seasons at Western Kentucky,” Liskiewitz writes.
Pittsburgh showed quite a bit of interest in Corley throughout the pre-draft process.
New Steelers wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni attended Western Kentucky Pro Day to get a good look at Corley. Later, the Steelers hosted him for a pre-draft visit, allowing head coach Mike Tomlin and GM Omar Khan a chance to get to know Corley a bit more.
In four seasons at WKU, he caught 259 passes for 3,035 yards and 29 touchdowns in Conference USA. He would be quite the weapon to add to the receiver room with George Pickens, especially after the Steelers traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, losing their best route runner and their shiftiest receiver after the catch.
In Corley’s scouting report for Steelers Depot, Jonathan Heitritter praised Corley’s physicality, explosiveness, and YAC ability, also writing that he is hard to bring down with arm tackles. That fits well into what new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith tends to look for in receivers.
However, Heitritter noted that Corley lacks a true second gear and isn’t a natural separator, and he may only be a slot receiver at the next level. Evaluating Corley, Heitritter compared him to San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
There is certainly interest there from the Steelers and plenty of dots to connect. We’ll see how — and when — the Steelers address the receiver position on Day 2. It wouldn’t be surprising if that name is Corley’s.
