NFL Analysis
4/26/24
4 min read
Malachi Corley NFL Draft 2024: Combine Results, Scouting Report For Western Miami Dolphins WR
The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Malachi Corley.
Malachi Corley'S 2024 NFL COMBINE RESULTS
- Height: 5'10 5/8"
- Weight: 215 lbs.
- 40-Time: DNP
- 10-Yard Split: DNP
- Vertical: DNP
- Broad Jump: DNP
- 3-Cone: DNP
- Shuttle: DNP
Malachi Corley 2024 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT
STRENGTHS:
- Solidly built wide receiver with strong frame who predominantly lined up in the slot in his three-year career at Western Kentucky.
- Shows the ability to make tough hands catches away from his frame on the move. Can extend and snatch.
- Has strong run-after-catch skills. Makes the transition from receiver to runner with burst and power; looks like a running back.
- Shows run-after-catch quickness and burst and quickness to both navigate traffic and accelerating speed.
- Has a physical component to his game and an outstanding playing personality with a competitive edge. Plays through contact.
WEAKNESSES:
- Is more stiff and tight in his core than loose and fluid. Struggles at times to change direction as a route runner.
- Tough to get a feel for his route running ability based on his 2023 tape — can he separate and win between the numbers?
- Shows more burst and juice in runs after catch than he does as a route runner. Is more straight-line linear and methodical.
NFL TRANSITION:
Based on his 2023 tape, Corley is a significant projection as he makes the transition to the next level.
At Western Kentucky, he was predominantly a slot and motion receiver, and you didn't see him run the kinds of routes he would need to master to be a higher-level inside receiver in the NFL — with an emphasis on multiple screen concepts, shallow crossers, sit routes and the occasional deeper route. Corley is a solidly built, compact receiver who is a little stiff in his core, especially as a route runner. He does have accelerating burst and speed, which showed up in his college tape.
There is something to Corley’s game that needs to be cultivated and developed. It might take some time, but there is no doubt there's an explosive element to him that will excite teams. The bottom line is he has the traits to play in the NFL and can be deployed in multiple ways, including the screen game and jet sweeps. However, he needs to learn to run the more conventional routes demanded of NFL slot receivers.
Corley plays with a physical nature and is not afraid to initiate contact run after catch, which is a foundational component of his game. One question is: can he work outside as well as in the slot? My sense is he can be a movement Z receiver, giving him free access to routes to generate speed and velocity.
He didn't make tough contested catches at Western Kentucky, so there will be legitimate questions about that. But I believe he has a chance to develop into a strong slot/Zreceiver who brings a physical, competitive dimension to the passing game.
OTHER NOTES:
Corley played four years at Western Kentucky after coming out of high school as a lightly recruited two-star prospect who played receiver and cornerback. He became a significant part of the team's offense in his sophomore season. In his final three seasons, he caught 253 passes for 2,970 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Corley predominantly lined up in the slot in 2023: 89 of his 115 targets came from the slot. He had 61 catches for 786 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 12.9 yards per catch. He was also deployed as a motion receiver in Western Kentucky’s offense — a 21-yard touchdown vs. Liberty came with Corley lined up No. 1 outside the numbers to twins in an empty formation; he ran the fade and made an excellent hands catch.
