Jets Add Offensive Weapon With Selection of WR Malachi Corley

[JetNation]

A day after selecting Tyron Smith’s backup in Olu Fashanu with the 11th pick in the draft, the Jets went out and added a weapon on offense in Malachi Corley.

Malchi Corley's ability to gain yards after the catch comes from more than just being able to make defenders miss.

Shows a powerful lower half and is able to take on contact, shed tacklers and make big plays. pic.twitter.com/7DQS1xQ4k5

— Glenn Naughton (@JetsPicks) February 21, 2024

The Western Kentucky product’s 259 career receptions set a school record while he managed to find the end zone 11 times in each of the past two seasons.  Known as the “YAC king” for his ability to gain yards after the catch, Corley is a physical receiver who won’t hesitate to run through opposing defenders.

The wideout also did a great job of re-building his physique as he transformed from a thick lower half and narrow trunk to a hulking physical wideout.

Incredible Pre-draft transformation for Western Kentucky WR Malachi Corley.@CorleyMalachi has been training with @AspirationsGym since Jan. 8!

Big Pro Day on deck… pic.twitter.com/WwryOUzrTT

— Justin M (@JustinM_NFL) March 9, 2024

His style of play has drawn comparisons to all-world receiver Deebo Samuel and Corley suggested the 49ers WR is a bit of an inspiration of his.

Corley’s skill set should pair perfectly with the play style of Aaron Rodgers as his specialty is taking quick hitters and gaining yards after the catch.  This, for a quarterback in Rodgers whose deep passes make the highlight reels despite truly making his living in the short game.

The post Jets Offnensive Weapon With Selection of WR Malachi Corley appeared first on JetNation.com - New York Jets Blog & Forum.

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[AFJF]

JFC who wrote that headline?

Anyway....
 

 

[AFJF]

JFC....

 

 

[Sperm Edwards]

8 hours ago, AFJF said:

JFC who wrote that headline?

Anyway....
 

 

He only did two good ones. Probably the weights were hollow, too.

#t0mshanelevelweak

[Alka]

8 hours ago, AFJF said:

JFC who wrote that headline?

Anyway....
 

 

If he stays this strong, he will be bouncing off of defensive backs and safeties like pool balls!  The guy has serious upper body strength!

[LAD_Brooklyn]

By Zack Rosenblatt

"FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Around 11 a.m. on Friday, New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas texted coach Robert Saleh a photo of a wide receiver from Western Kentucky with the text: “No matter what.”

Saleh responded: “No matter what.”

 

Douglas knew he wanted wide receiver Malachi Corley as soon as the Jets missed out on drafting the top receivers in the first round — especially Rome Odunze. Instead, they settled on offensive tackle Olu Fashanu. Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers was a fan of Corley, too, as were many in the team’s war room.

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Then Day 2 started, and Douglas started to sweat. The first two picks of the second round were wide receivers. The fifth pick, too. The Jets didn’t own their second-round pick anymore, sending it to Green Bay as part of the trade for Rodgers last year, and there was a feeling Corley might not last until the Jets’ next pick, No. 72 overall in the third round.

So Douglas started working the phones.

“We were sitting at 72, which was a long way for a lot of teams to travel,” Douglas said. “It was hard to sit there seeing (receivers) rolling off … but things fell our way.”

When the page turned to the third round, Douglas wasn’t willing to wait anymore, so he traded up: No. 72 and a fifth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for No. 65, the first pick in the third round.

And so the Jets got their guy.

Douglas and Saleh were beaming as they walked into the news conference room on Friday night. Corley paced around his house with a big smile on his face. According to Saleh, Rodgers was excited, too.

“We’re juiced, man,” Douglas said.

GO DEEPER

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It’s not hard to figure out why: Corley is a unique player who will bring a dimension to the Jets offense it didn’t have last season — and he should be able to make an immediate impact. He will be an important addition to an offense that lacked playmakers in 2023 outside of Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. Fashanu is expected to start out as a backup behind left tackle Tyron Smith. Corley will play right away — precisely because he brings a different skill set to the Jets’ table.

They don’t call him the “YAC King” for nothing.

“He’s elite with the ball in his hands,” Saleh said. “He’s an angry runner. Obviously he calls himself ‘YAC King’ and he’s deserving of it.”

 

Saleh was with the San Francisco 49ers at the beginning of Deebo Samuel’s career. That’s who Corley is most often compared to because of his compact, muscular frame (5-10, 207) and ability to make plays after the catch. In 2022, he led the FBS in yards after the catch and missed tackles forced. He combined for 55 missed tackles forced the last two years and since 2021 accumulated 2,068 yards after the catch — 400 more than the next closest player.

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“My biggest strength is yards after the catch; I think that’s my calling card,” Corley said. “I do it better than anyone else. When I get the ball in my hands, I can make special plays happen. I can take a 2-yard bubble screen 20-30 yards if I have to. A staple of my game is being strong, powerful and playing the game like that. It’s how I’ve always done it.”

Corley played most of his snaps in the slot in college (91.6 percent of them), though the Jets view him as more of a jack-of-all-trades than slot-only. Douglas thinks Corley has the versatility to line up on the outside, inside and even at running back.

“He’s a nice, versatile chess piece,” Douglas said.

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Even so, he should compete to be the team’s primary slot receiver right away with second-year wideout Xavier Gipson. Much of his production came on shorter throws — 75.7 percent in 2023 came within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage — and through YAC. But that also makes him an ideal fit anyway alongside Wilson, who thrives all over the field, and Mike Williams, who is adept at 50/50 balls and making plays down the field. There’s also Hall — one of the NFL’s most explosive pass-catchers out of the backfield — and tight end Tyler Conklin, reliable over the middle. All of a sudden, the Jets have the ability to attack all over the field. It won’t hurt to have Rodgers throwing the ball, either.

“We’ve got a very versatile group and he adds another element,” Saleh said. “He’s not limited to just slot. This is a dude that you get the ball in his hands and let him go to work. He’s a guy that plays angry, runs angry and we’re excited to have him.”

There are some areas to improve, of course. Corley had six drops in 2023, three in 2022 and four in 2021. He won’t be expected to contribute on special teams, either, and he wasn’t really used as a downfield target in college. But his ceiling is high — the Jets are hoping they found their own Samuel.

“Deebo is a special player, so I don’t know if I want to compare (Corley) to anyone,” Saleh said. “But he’s got his style, his style is true. You just have to watch his tape.”

(Photo: Isaiah Vazquez / Getty Images)