Malachi Corley | WKU 5’11”, 215 lbs 3/21/2002 (22)
Malachi Corley was drafted by the New York Jets, becoming the 12th wide receiver and 65th overall player in the 2024 NFL Draft.
COLLEGE PRODUCTION
Malachi Corley had quite the illustrious career at Western Kentucky, breaking out as a true sophomore and dominating as a junior and senior. Corley finished with 259 receptions, over 3,000 receiving yards, and 29 touchdowns in his four years at WKU. Corley has been dubbed the “YAC king” of this draft class, averaging 8.2 YAC/reception in his college career. At 215 pounds, Corley has the frame and size to fight through contact and break off massive plays. The biggest red flags in Corley’s prospect profile are the competition level he faced, his low aDOT numbers, and his inability to haul in contested catches. He was very productive at WKU but I would have liked to see more efficiency from him.
FILM
Five-time Pro Bowler Steve Smith Sr. has been quoted as saying Malachi Corley is the “steal of the draft”. The thing on film that stood out most to Smith was Corley’s playing strength. He made a habit of running over smaller DBs on a weekly basis. Corley mainly operated out of the short-to-intermediate areas of the field at WKU, as their game plan was to get their best player out in open space to create. Questions of whether Corley could run a full route tree arose, but Corley put most of those concerns to bed during senior bowl week. He’s a big, dynamic receiver who has the ability to perform at all levels of the field.
ATHLETIC TESTING
At the Combine, Malachi Corley measured 5’11” and 215 lbs. He ran a 4.48 40-yard dash, with a 10-yard split of 1.58 and a 20-yard split of 2.63. All three of these numbers are slightly above average for an NFL receiver. Corley’s shuttle time was 4.22 seconds; again, slightly above average. He may not be the twitchiest athlete in the class, but he has enough quickness and burst to succeed.
DRAFT ANALYSIS
Rapid Reaction to Draft Capital: Average
Rapid Reaction to Landing Spot: Above-Average
Malachi Corley was selected with the 65th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. Based on the current depth chart, Corley could be Rodgers’ number-two target right out of the gate. The Jets did sign former Charger, Mike Williams this offseason. However, considering his extensive injury history and the fact that he is entering his age-30 season, I would put my money on Malachi being the more highly favored target.
FANTASY INSIGHTS
Malachi Corley has the physical tools to succeed at the NFL level. He’ll have Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball, and with the lack of competition in this receiving room, Corley has the opportunity to step in as the WR2 behind Garrett Wilson and earn some serious volume. Based on the situation, I think he could easily see double-digit fantasy points per game in PPR formats. The ceiling is there, but he’s far from a bulletproof prospect.
Malachi Corley should be valued around the late second or early third in Superflex rookie drafts. He should have a higher route percentage than nearly every Day 2 wide receiver in this class, so long as he proves his worth in training camp.
Thank you for tuning in to DFF’s 2024 NFL Draft Coverage! Stay tuned as we break down every fantasy-relevant pick during the draft. Please consider becoming our yearly DFF subscription so we can deliver top-notch analysis and fantasy breakdowns. Only $1.67 per month ($19.99 per year) gets you our Dynasty Rookie Draft Guide, access to the DFF Discord for free personalized dynasty team advice, hundreds of dynasty articles, and so much more…
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope you got some valuable information you can use for your fantasy team! If you’d like additional insight into Dynasty Football news and analysis, please follow me on Twitter at @jim_DFF. Until next time, keep grinding out there, DFF family! #DFFArmy #FantasyFootball #AlwaysBeBuilding #NFL #NFLDraft #NFLTransactions #NFLTrades #AlwaysBeScouting #PlantYourFlag
