Malachi Corley, WR, Western Kentucky
Size:
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 215 pounds
Arm Length: 32 1/8"
Hand Size: 9 1/8"
Accomplishments:
First Team All-Conference USA (2022) • Biletnikoff Award Watch List (2022)
“Malachi Corley is an explosive receiver who, due to his great run-after-catch ability, can be utilized as a versatile weapon for NFL offenses.“
Strengths:
Run-after-catch ability
Straight-line explosive
Alignment-versatile
Concerns:
Detailed route-running
Catching ball away from body
Film Analysis:
Malachi Corley enters the 2024 NFL Draft after putting together consecutive 900-plus yard seasons and 29 career touchdowns. In the Hilltoppers’ offense, Corley dominated Conference USA. Corley possesses a combination of vertical speed, functional strength, and IQ as a route-runner, making him an attractive offensive weapon for NFL teams.
Corley wins as both an outside receiver and in the slot. As an outside receiver when facing press, Corley has the functional strength to power through press coverage and get into his route. He can also use a slower, more tempoed release to force the defender to false step and get into his releases. As a route-runner, Corley shows to have good start-stop ability, which allows him to create separation at the top of routes from defenders. Corley’s explosiveness as a player can quickly minimize defenders' cushion, forcing them to flip their hips and bail. This allows Corley to snap off routes and uncover on underneath routes. On vertical routes, Corley shows a good burst at the snap to get on top of defensive backs in an attempt to win vertically for an explosive play.
While Corley does many things well, his most unique value as a player is his run-after-the-catch ability. Corley is strong and explosive after the catch, able to consistently run through arm tackles and be difficult to tackle for most defensive backs. There appears to be an untapped area of Corley's game where he can take jet motion handoffs and quick screens and convert those into big plays.
The improvements needed in Corley’s game are in two areas. First is his ability to extend his catch radius by catching the ball away from his body. There are moments where Corley will make the difficult catch away from his body but there needs to be more consistency in that area. The other area is running more detailed routes to create separation at the top of routes at a higher percentage.
Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Adequate Starter
Exposures: Ohio State (2023), Louisiana Tech (2023), Liberty (2023)
