Draft Analysis: Malachi Corley

Height: 5’10”
Weight: 215 lb.
College: Western Kentucky University
Tape watched: Middle Tennessee, Ohio State, Auburn
NFL Comparison: Laviska Shenault

Pros

Athleticism

A physical runner with the ball, Corley is a player to scheme plays around. He was an extension of the running game at WKU, enabling him to find the ball early and get busy running over defenders. He slides through blocking gaps and finishes runs. He shows good explosiveness off the line of scrimmage as well as down field. An 8.6 YAC% on his receptions is an elite number for receivers.

Midline

Route Running

A very limited route tree held Corley to running short routes. He rarely attacked downfield and the outside of the field. 52 of his 79 receptions were under 10 yards downfield, and all 52 were in the middle of the field. Corley shows a good ability to burst into his route break, but exiting has some work to be done. He runs a crisp route when not interfered with by defenders.

Hands

Struggles with drops hinders Corley’s catch rating. Corley had six drops his senior year and did not stand out with his ball snatching talent (no Diddy). He doesn’t play outside of his frame well. He has good body control on the sidelines but still did not capitalize on plays NFL players need to make.

Cons

Release

Corley really struggled when defenders would initiate contact through his release and route stem. He rarely showed he had a plan, and his reactions wasted a lot of time and effort to shed the contact. Corley’s physical play did not show on tape in his releases.

A bad example of Corley’s release.

A good example of Corley having a plan and shedding his defender.

Contested Catches

Corley is disadvantaged at the catch point with below average height and average arm length. He struggled in contested catch situations, converting only 26.5% in his 4 years in college. For a receiver of his stature and physicality, this number should be higher. It is worth noting most of his contested catch situations were across the middle of the field, and on the short perimeter. All places a receiver needs to win at a high rate.

Versatility

With an 85% usage rate in the slot, and an Average Depth of Target of 5.5 yards, Corley has shown little that he can survive on the perimeter in the NFL. This corners NFL teams into drafting him knowing he may only play in the slot.

Overview

Malachi Corley’s path to NFL success depends heavily on the draft capital spent on him and the offense he fits in. He is a very defined player with a specific role for offenses. He likely won’t find success on the perimeter as a boundary receiver. If he can develop his route tree into more than a check down or scheme player, he could become a good 3rd option in an NFL offense.