The Jets came away with a haul of offensive players during the 2024 NFL Draft, starting with Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu in the first round. But it’s their third-round rookie that could generate some buzz this season as a rookie.
CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso is among those buying into the stock early on Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley. Trapasso recently named one post-Day 1 draft sleeper for each team and landed on Corley as the pick for the Jets.
The Jets have established receiving options in budding superstar Garrett Wilson and longtime vertical rebounder Mike Williams. Now they have a rugged yards-after-the-catch pinball in Corley to act as an extension of the run game and provide Aaron Rodgers with an easy outlet that can turn passes across the line of scrimmage into 5-plus-yard gains with reasonable regularity.
At 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, Corley is almost identically sized to young rocket of a back Breece Hall — 5-11 and 217 pounds at his combine. While the aerial portion of the offense will run through Wilson, Corley has the unique skills to contribute right away. He doesn’t need to master a multitude of routes to get open. Most of his targets will be of the schemed-open variety.
Impressive stat to know: Forced a missed tackle on a 27.7% of his 259 career catches in college.
In four seasons at Western Kentucky, Corley caught 259 passes for 3,035 yards and 29 touchdowns. That includes a line of 101 catches for 1,295 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022.
The Jets will look to manufacture touches for Corley, but he can be electric with the ball in his hands and in the open field. He has a chance to be an immediate contributor on offense, especially with Aaron Rodgers throwing him the football.
