2024 NFL Draft prospect profile: Malachi Corley, WR, Western Kentucky

Could the Giants be interested in the self-proclaimed “YAC God”?

The New York Giants need to add to their receiving room, that much is pretty widely agreed upon.

It’s pretty much taken as a given that they need to add a big player who looks the part of a classic “X” receiver. But is that what the Giants themselves think? Giants’ WR coach Mike Groh was one of nine wide receiver coaches on hand for Western Kentucky pro day to watch receiver Malachi Corley.

Corley is undersized at 5-foot-11, 215 pounds, and largely played out of the slot or motion in college. He also lead the NCAA in yards after the catch in each of the last two years and scored 11 touchdowns in each of the last two years. That would certainly be attractive for an offensively challenged team like the Giants.

Could the Giants be going to school on the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers offenses? If so, Corley could be a target.

Prospect: Malachi Corley (11)
Games Watched: vs. Ohio State (2023), vs. Troy (2023), vs. Louisiana Tech (2023), vs. Sam Houston State (2023)
Red Flags: Rib bruise (2023)

Measurables

Kent Lee Platte (@mathbomb) | RAS.football

Strengths

• Yards after the catch
• Body control
• Vision
• Ball skills
• Quickness
• Agility

Corley is a compact and athletic player with a rare talent for picking up yards with the ball in his hands.

Corley is an urgent athlete who runs with great stride frequency, giving him very good quickness and agility. Likewise, he has great body control, allowing him to contort his body to stay inbounds or force would-be tackles into glancing blows. His quickness, agility, and acceleration allow him to pick up quick yards, and his body control and contact balance allow him to survive hits and break much longer runs.

Corley primarily played out of the slot in Western Kentucky’s offense, though he did occasionally line up in the backfield or motion inside from a wide alignment. He was primarily used as an offensive weapon in run-after catch situations with schemed touches. Corley’s usage and body control lead to him leading the nation in yards after the catch in each of the last two seasons.

He’s a capable receiver as well as a runner, and does a good job of locating the ball in the air, adjusting and extending to maximize his catch radius. Corley is also a willing blocker who competes to afford his teammates the same space they create for him.

Weaknesses

• Size
• Long speed
• Catch consistency
• Ball security

Corley is a very good athlete who’s able to create a tremendous amount of yards on the ground. However, he isn’t an elite timed athlete and appears to have just average long speed. Corley is the type of player who can generate separation through his burst, but is only able to just maintain his distance from average defenders and won’t actually out-run many defenders.

Corley also lacks the type of length teams typically look for in wide receivers. He’s built much more along the lines of a modern running back, with a thick but short frame. He doesn’t have the height or length to high-point the ball and has a modest catch radius.

Finally, Corley needs to improve his ball security. He can be inconsistent when it comes to hauling in difficult catches in traffic, leading to the occasional frustrating drop. Likewise, he needs to get better about tucking the ball away and making sure he’s minimizing defenders ability to knock it loose. Corley is a tough, determined runner, but needs to get better at not risking a turnover.

Game Tape

Projection

Corley projects as an offensive weapon or slot receiver with starting upside for an offense that creates space and run-after-catch opportunities.

Corley’s greatest upside will be in offenses that weaponize spacing and alignment to create traffic on the defense, while also scheming opportunities to get the ball to skill position players in space. Modern “West Coast” offenses could make particularly good use of Corley and he has the potential to be a high-volume and high-upside option for them.

Offenses that ask receivers to beat one-on-one matchups or value more conventional receivers will likely look elsewhere. However, Corley has the potential to be a highly productive and versatile weapon as a slot receiver or slot-back (to use an older term) in the right situation.

Does he fit the Giants?
Potentially yes, if they want to run a more YAC-heavy offense.

Final Word: A second-round value