Malachi Corley 2024 Dynasty Rookie Profile
Malachi Corley 2024 Dynasty Rookie Draft Profile
Position: WR
School: Western Kentucky
Class: RS-Junior
Date of Birth: March 21, 2002
Height: 5-10 Weight: 215 lbs
Athletic Testing
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Bio
Malachi Corley played football and basketball at Campbellsville High School in Kentucky. He was a two-way player on the football field, excelling at both wide receiver and defensive back. As a junior, Corley was credited with 95 tackles and two interceptions on the defensive side of the ball. On offense, he ran for over 1,000 yards and caught 41 passes for another 863 yards. He scored 23 total touchdowns. Despite nearly 2,000 yards of offense, Corley was recruited to play cornerback. As a two-star recruit, he received just four offers: Western Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, Southeast Missouri State, and Western Illinois.
Corley signed with Western Kentucky where it didn’t take long for him to make the transition to wide receiver. He played in nine games as a true freshman in 2020, catching just six passes for 65 yards. Still considered a freshman in 2021 because of the COVID pandemic rules, Corley saw his role increase significantly. He hauled in 73 receptions for 691 yards and seven touchdowns. Corley continued to play a prominent role in the passing game in 2022, starting all 14 games and amassing 1,295 yards and 11 touchdowns on 101 receptions. He did most of his work after the catch, ranking first in the nation with 975 yards after the catch and first in missed tackles forced with 40, according to the team’s website. That was enough to earn first-team all-conference.
Corley played in 12 games as a redshirt junior in 2023. He again led the team in all receiving categories with 73 receptions, 984 yards, and 11 touchdowns. Corley received first-team all-conference recognition for the second-straight season.
College Stats
Malachi Corley College Stats Courtesy of sports-reference
Positives
+Speed
+YAC Monster
+Alignment Versatility
+Good Hands
+7.2 best season receptions per game (2022)
+16 career rush attempts (92 yards)
Negatives
-Route running needs refinement
-Limited route tree
Likely won’t command a high volume of targets in the NFL
-2.09 best season yards per team pass attempt (2022)
-27.2% best season Dominator Rating (2023)
Highlight Reel
Archetype: YAC Monster
NFL Comp: Laviska Shenault
Draft Projection: Third/Fourth Round
Bottom Line:
Malachi Corley’s game is built on yards after catch. At 5-10, 215 lbs, he has the frame of a running back. And that’s exactly his mentality when he has the ball in his hands. He wants to run around you and he wants to run through you. He is always looking for ways to squeeze out every last yard he can get. His size and strength, paired with speed make him difficult for the average defensive back to take him down on first contact.
The Hilltoppers took full advantage of his skill set, manufacturing touches for Corley in the form of screens, jet sweeps, shallow crosses, etc. However, outside of those types of routes, Corley wasn’t asked to do much else. His route tree had only a few branches and he wasn’t exactly the most savvy route runner, either. It wasn’t often he was asked to run more than 10 or so yards down the field.
That raises concerns for his potential role in an NFL offense without further development in areas like footwork, release, and technique. It’s always worrisome when a guy’s best trait coming out of college is picking up yards after the catch. So often we see that doesn’t translate to the NFL nearly as well as people hope. We have to remember that in college, guys are often playing against defenders who may never even sniff the NFL. That’s especially true when you’re talking about a smaller school like Western Kentucky. Corley, who calls himself the “YAC King,” may be in for a rude awakening when he faces NFL size, speed, and skill. Scouts want him to be Deebo Samuel so bad, and that’s the style he plays, but Deebo is such a rare breed it’s hard to make that bet.
Still, Corley will have a chance to carve out a role early in his career as an underneath slot guy with good hands and playmaking ability. That may not bring enough volume for fantasy football purposes if Corely doesn’t develop into a more well-rounded wide receiver, though. It’s expected he will be selected sometime in the third or fourth round of the NFL Draft and will be a solid third round selection in dynasty rookie drafts.
NEXT: Ladd McConkey 2024 Dynasty Rookie Profile
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