Prospect Profile: Malachi Corley, WR, Western Kentucky

Context

He spends most of his time in the slot in Western Kentucky’s high-volume offense that targets the slot at a high clip. He was used as an offensive weapon, in motion, in the backfield and mostly on screens.

Before the Catch

He’s a bit of an enigma in the release portion of the route, given the speed, toughness, aggression, and lateral explosion that he shows in his YAC. The traits suggest he would be a guy that thrives at the line of scrimmage, but he doesn’t put it together at the line of scrimmage and it means he struggles early in the route. When he’s pressed with a jam, it’s easy to identify what’s holding him back: his technique with his hands is not refined – the timing and accuracy are both highly inconsistent and he can get stuck on Defensive Backs with solid play strength. He also struggles to really challenge DBs when they’re in soft shoe press with his footwork and his angles. He doesn’t deploy the change of direction he has when executing moves with his feet both to set up his release and when he does release. When he has to close the space to the defender, it can be obvious which way he wants to release as he drifts in that direction, giving the defender a free pass at reading his intentions.

His feet are choppy and he doesn’t explode away from the defender with his speed release or single move. When he faces off or bail is where he thrives the most, as he’s not afraid to stem right into the defender and he is a master at attacking leverage to set up his break. This mastery of attacking leverage also extends to his processing of different coverages and his locating the soft spot in the Zone quickly. He’s excellent on option routes and is a QB’s best friend, making small adjustments to stay open in the Zone and on broken plays. When executing routes against man coverage, his best route is the speed cut to the sideline, where he can make the transition quickly, with no rise and good posture. He also executes well on 45 degree angle breaks, especially bam steps on posts and corners – he did not run many but he sets up his break really well. On 2 step breaks for digs, deep outs etc. he can once again give away his intentions with his hips, which point in the direction he’s going to go way before he’s made his transition. He has good speed and so can threaten downfield on go routes. On all types of route, when facing a DB with solid play strength, he can struggle to separate at the top of his route when they get their hands on him.

The Catch and after the Catch

He has good hands and catches the ball well outside of his frame. He can struggle to adjust to different types of ball and doesn’t control his body well to ensure the optimum position for the catch. When running perpendicular to the line of scrimmage on crossing or out routes, and the ball is thrown in the strike zone he can let the ball into his body. He can also do a better job of protecting the football from defenders locked up in phase. He is a massive threat to take huge chunks of yardage after the catch. He wins with speed, change of direction, toughness, contact balance and intelligence in setting up his downfield blockers. He will run over people.

SUMMARY
Have a plan for him. Extremely dangerous weapon after the catch, athletic, tough and smart. Needs work to consistently win at the LOS and at the top of his routes.

PRODUCTION
JR: 115 Tgts, 79 Recs, 985 Rec Yards (12.5 Ave), 11 Rec TDs
SO: 137 Tgts, 101 Recs, 1282 Rec Yards (12.7 Ave), 11 Rec TDs
INJURY: Chest Injury (JR) missed 1 Game

RAVENS FIT
Athleticism 5
Intelligence 4
Versatility 4
Grit 4
Scheme 4