New York Jets wide receiver Malachi Corley couldn’t stop himself from smiling during his media availability.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic asked him about playing on a team with so much offensive talent.
“I’m excited because in college [and] high school I was the horse for our team. So everyone knew every single game what they were getting from me. But going into a system that has such established players. I can’t be double-teamed, I can’t be bracketed, or all these things. It lights my eyes up because I’m thinking I’m going to get off out here,” Corley explained. “Being able to learn from veteran guys like Mike Williams and Garrett Wilson and to be able to soak up what they’ve learned and what has helped them sustain success. It’ll be a perfect recipe for me to start off as a rookie.”
The Jets Brass Willed This Pick Into Existence
There were certainly draft analysts on the outside who predicted Corley to the Jets would happen on day two of the 2024 NFL draft.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic and Russell Brown of Fantasy Pros/Betting Pros both nailed the Corley round-three Jets prediction.
However, the people inside the building took it to another level.
At 11:09 am on Friday, April 26 general manager Joe Douglas texted head coach Robert Saleh a photo of Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley with the caption, “No matter what.”
Shortly after, Saleh responded with the same message, “No matter what.”
It was a nod to the 2014 movie, “Draft Day”, where Kevin Costner portrayed the fictional character Sonny Weaver Jr who served as the Cleveland Browns general manager.
At the beginning of the movie which is set on draft day, Weaver writes something down on a piece of paper but tucks it away in his pocket. At the end of the film, it’s revealed what was on the note, “Vontae Mack No Matter What.”
Despite all the craziness of trading up and down on the board in the movie, Weaver sticks to what he committed to on the piece of paper that morning on draft day.
The Jets sweated it out because they weren’t scheduled to pick until No. 72 in the third round. The day started at pick No. 33 in the second round. That is a large gap of time where anything could have happened.
Douglas said he was thankful that everything worked out his way.
Corley Had Plenty of Highlights During His Media Availability
Malachi proved to be a big fish in a small pond. One of the questions about Corley was his level of competition in college.
He revealed to the media that after his record-breaking 2022 season where he caught 101 receptions for 1,295 and 11 touchdowns, he received big-time college football interest.
Corley said he received NIL offers in the $350,000 to $400,000 range from some huge colleges. Despite those tempting offers, he decided to stay at Western Kentucky because of loyalty. Corley also said that he didn’t get into the game for the fame, but rather because he enjoys it.
Corley confirmed that if he had a family member at the goal line he would “definitely” run through them. He also told stories about how he and his much bigger brother lined up in full pads during the summer and went at each other for fun.
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