As we officially hit the opening week of the NFL season, the Cleveland Browns were busy filling their practice squad after cut-downs and waivers. Many familiar faces returned after spending training camp with the team, but one outsider whose talent and skill set should excite fans about the potential he could develop into is former Jets third-round pick wide receiver Malachi Corley, who was added to the practice squad after being waived by New York.
Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, Western Kentucky's star Corley was ranked 66th overall on the consensus big board. Corley ended up getting drafted by the Jets in the third round at pick number 65 overall. He was nicknamed the YAC King, or yards after catch king, because of his exceptional ability to rack up yardage after the catch.
In Corley's final two seasons at Western Kentucky in 2022 and 2023, he had 1,282 yards and 985 yards, respectively. In 2022, 975 (76%) of 1,282 were gained after the catch, and in 2023, 683 (69%) of his 985 yards were gained after the catch. Corley just has a knack for being creative with the ball in his hands and finding ways to gain more yardage with a combination of speed, athletic ability, and power.
Corley has all the physical tools to be a very effective slot wide receiver; he has good, reliable hands, runs like a running back after the catch with power and finesse, and 4.45 (40-yard dash time) speed. However, the issue is that he is a raw wide receiver overall, with an extremely limited route tree and sloppy footwork.
His route running overall lacks nuance, and he had a significant amount of production on screens, hand-offs, and other quick passing situations. This is what makes him the perfect lottery ticket to put on your practice squad. Currently, he's not a starting-caliber player, but if you can coach him and develop him, he has a very high ceiling full of potential.
Of course, the question everyone is asking is, why would the Jets cut someone with this much potential after just one season, and why didn't a team put in a waiver claim on Corley? There was a bit of a falling out with the Jets, on top of the fact that he was the pick of the previous regime after New York cleaned house this year. There are questions about immaturity, and that's why he isn't on the active roster.
But having a guy on the practice squad as a lottery ticket with this kind of potential is the true definition of low-risk, high-reward. If he has maturity issues or shows no promise this year, you can easily cut him with no real financial ramifications. However, if you can get the light to come on in his head, you could have a very nice weapon.