5 offensive propsects the Commanders should monitor at 2024 Senior Bowl

Commanders should monitor Malachi Corley

• Wide Receiver | Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
• What to look for: Route running

Malachi Corley is a beast with the ball in his hands. Imagine Golden Tate, only a solid 20 pounds bigger. Or maybe just picture Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.

That’s an unfair comparison at this point because, at Western Kentucky, Corley was not asked to master as many of the finer points of playing receiver as prospects from upper-echelon programs. But the talent is obvious as soon as you begin watching him.

Corley is just under six feet tall and weighs about 220 pounds. With the ball in his hands, he is a running back, plowing over defensive backs with relative ease. Though he doesn’t appear to have lightning speed, he is one of those players who rarely gets caught from behind.

He has outstanding suddenness as well as upper body strength. Corely is simply a weapon in the open field. But he also does a good job of tracking the ball and making contested catches. In short, he offers everything the Washington Commanders might want in a new wide receiver from the college ranks.

The only thing to watch out for is whether he can be a consistent route runner at the next level. Even with all his physical talent, Corley will find it much harder to outrun and outmuscle NFL cornerbacks if he doesn’t perfect his route-running.

During Senior Bowl week, I want to see him take on elite defensive backs and get separation.