From 'Plan B' to Atlanta: Inside Speedy Zay Malone's Fast Falcons Start

From his small size, school and hometown, Zay Malone heard many doubts about his ability to play in the NFL - fast forward to this preseason, and Malone was the Atlanta Falcons' second-leading receiver. Here's an inside look at Malone's long, winding road to early stardom.

It's Aug. 11, and Zay Malone is running across the middle of the field at Hard Rock Stadium in the midst of the Atlanta Falcons' preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins.

Malone, who describes himself as a fast run-after-catch player with a big work ethic, sprints away from rookie cornerback Cam Smith, a two-time all-SEC selection and Miami's second-round pick, and hauls in a tight-window pass from quarterback Logan Woodside before turning up field and ultimately being tackled after a 27-yard gain.

Less than a quarter later, Woodside found Malone again, this time for a pickup of 23 yards, during which the 5-9, 180-pound wideout absorbed a big hit and still managed to hold onto the ball.

By night's end, Malone's two catches for 50 yards proved to lead the Falcons' receiving core in the 19-3 victory over Miami, a strong debut for the undrafted receiver out of Henderson State.

The week after, in Atlanta's second preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Malone once again rose to the occasion, catching two passes for 33 yards, tying with star wideout Drake London for the third-most on the team in his first action at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

But Malone wasn't supposed to be on this stage - there was a time where not even he believed the next level was possible, even when playing in the NFL had been a lifelong dream.

Malone hails from Lake Cormorant, Miss., with a population of just over 2,000 people; surely, some thought, the undersized pass catcher from a small town some 20 miles south of Memphis didn't have a chance to play at the sport's highest level ... and they let him know.

“Being a smaller guy, people were telling me to find a plan B," Malone told SI's Falcon Report in an exclusive interview. "But I kept my head down and worked and God helped everything fall into place.”

There was a time, however, where things seemed less straightforward for Malone - the first example that came to mind was following his freshman year at Northeast Mississippi Community College.

As a senior at Lake Cormorant High School, Malone was a 1,000-yard receiver but fell through the cracks and went the JUCO route. He'd been used to being the guy on offense, but found life much different at the college level.

Malone finished his first season with just 13 receptions for 126 yards across five games, a far cry from the numbers he'd produced in high school and even further way from the idea of playing in the NFL.

It was in this moment that Malone reached a low point in his football career. Firmly at a crossroads, he began to think "Plan B" was more of a possibility than ever before.

“After my freshman year, I started getting doubtful," Malone said. "I started feeding into it and still loved the game but was contemplating options.”

But Malone regrouped and attacked his sophomore year with a new mindset - staying the course, keeping his head down and controlling what he can control.

The result was a breakout campaign in which he proved himself as a dynamic threat on the outside, averaging 21 yards per catch with 27 receptions for 567 yards and five touchdowns in nine games. His energy - and his dream - was back.

“I’ve always been overlooked," Malone said. "I just feel like God kept listening."

From thereon, Malone hasn't stopped running. He felt faster and better than ever before ... only to have the following season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But like he's done throughout his football career, Malone came back stronger. In 2021, he starred on debut at Henderson State, posting 68 receptions for 970 yards and three touchdowns en route to earning second-team all-conference honors.

By all accounts, an impressive year - but he reached new heights as a senior, catching 67 passes for 1,382 yards and 15 touchdowns while making first-team All-Great American Conference. He ranked second in yards and fourth in touchdowns across all of Division II.

Even deeper than the All-GAC accolades, Malone found friendship with a fellow star receiver in the conference - Oklahoma Baptist's Keilahn Harris, who joined Malone as the only two receivers Atlanta added during the draft process.

Malone and Harris knew each other long before arriving in Atlanta together; Malone tried to get Harris to join him at Henderson State after their first matchup, during which the former had nine catches for 110 yards in a 36-34 victory while the latter recorded a team-high five catches for 59 yards and a touchdown.

The duo met again in 2022, with Malone dominating to the tune of seven grabs for 189 yards and a 64-yard touchdown while Harris once again led the Bison with seven catches for 79 yards.

Beyond the mutual respect on the field, Malone and Harris grew close way from football, which helped ease their transition to Atlanta and has aided each other as they've fought towards making the final roster.

“We just clicked,” Malone said.

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It didn't take long for Malone to find comfort in Atlanta, even with Harris being the lone familiar face. For Malone, the culture inside the Falcons' locker room was evident, providing a family-esque environment from the start.

“I feel like I belonged since our first day," Malone said. "This team really has a brotherhood feeling, so I always love places like that where everybody’s close. I feel like it’s a great spot for me.”

This feeling stretches beyond the off-field relationships he's already fostered, with Malone finding Atlanta's offensive scheme and coaching staff to be the right fit for him.

It starts with head coach Arthur Smith, a Memphis native who speaks the same dialect as Malone, and spreads to offensive coordinator Dave Ragone and receivers coach TJ Yates.

The element of Atlanta's offense being positionless is particularly well-liked by Malone, who pointed out tight end Kyle Pitts lining up at receiver, and said he feels like he “can be anywhere in this offense.”

Malone noted that he hasn't had as much individual training as others due to his status as a small-school player, but the Falcons' coaching staff - and Yates in particular - has been patient with him and watched him soar as a result.

Thus, it's a mutually beneficial relationship for all parties, and Malone has greatly enjoyed that aspect of playing at the professional level.

“I love all of them - great dudes," Smith said. "I didn’t know coach Smith was from South Memphis. When he gets on people's ass, I know exactly - you just got to know somebody from Memphis to actually know him. Coach Rags (is) a funny dude, great guy, great coach. I think he knows the game well."

But perhaps the most important element of why Atlanta's culture seems so special is that the coaching comes from more than just those on the staff.

Coaches often say their best teams are player-led, and Alabama's Nick Saban has coined the notion that having your best players also be your best people is instrumental in success.

And for the Falcons' receivers room, this saying proves true, with London and Mack Hollins bringing tremendous value to Malone, who's seen firsthand why Smith believes in the environment that's been built inside the locker room.

“The offense is very player-led," Malone said. "I’ve learned stuff from Mack and Drake every day; they’ll probably learn something from me some day. Nobody is close-minded. I can learn something from (running backs) Tyler (Allgeier), Bijan (Robinson), or CP (Cordarrelle Patterson), or even somebody on defense. Everyone is open minded.”

Better yet, London and Hollins have, in fact, learned things from Malone and other young receiver this summer, only further exemplifying how those inside the room are willing to learn.

Hollins brought up one of his favorite quotes - "you're never too old to learn, you're never too young to teach" - as an example of his mindset, adding that he learns as much from London, Malone and Harris as he does from the 32-year-old Patterson.

The question, of course, is what exactly Malone can teach - he comes from an offense at Henderson State that was calling plays with signals, prompting a steep adjustment to some of Atlanta's lengthy play calls.

But for Hollins, there's value in the inexperience - it provides a fresh perspective and challenges both himself and others to contemplate the methods behind their ways, only raising the level of play within the ego-free room.

"A lot of times, when you get older, you get stuck in your ways of like 'this is how it's supposed to be,'" Hollins said. "And then you never think of a question that a young guy might come in and be like, 'Why do we do this? Why would you run the route like that instead of that?' And it seems dumb, but it's actually like, 'Oh, why do I do it? Do I do it just because I've been doing it or do I know the actual base reason why?'

"So, it always keeps you refreshed and new and not getting stagnant how you are."

London focused more on Malone's on-field attributes, creating a well-rounded profile of the depths to which the unheralded rookie has helped him ascend this summer.

"I can learn from his speed and learn from his quickness," London said. "And so, I'm just trying to take little things out of everybody that I could find that I don't have in myself and maybe work on that."

And really, with a room full of talent that's eager to improve, it's easy to see why Malone has found Atlanta to be so comforting.

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The first thing Malone mentions about his game is speed; considering his big-play production in college and his Falcons-leading 20 yards per catch in the preseason, it's far from a surprise ... and certainly well-supported.

"I bring the deep threat," Malone said, before adding that he doesn't go down easily on first downs and citing how his 4.36 40-yard dash speed complements the rest of the receivers room.

The Falcons have Scotty Miller, who Malone feels he can help take stress off of, but apart from him, have the likes of London, Hollins and KhaDarel Hodge, none of whom are viewed as overly fast options.

To an expect, Smith echoed similar thoughts - when asked about Miller early in camp, he gave unprompted praise to Malone's skill set, an encouraging sign for the roster hopeful.

“I like Scotty and what he’s done - that’s speed’s real," Smith said. "You can feel the speed and you can certainly feel Zay Malone’s speed too.”

The next challenge for Malone becomes making the Falcons' 53-man roster, with cuts looming on Tuesday as the team goes from 90 players down to 53.

By all accounts, it promises to be the most nerve-wracking time of his career - but he's focused on taking care of his body and brain while continuing to work through the playbook.

And for that, Malone's confident that things will work out - after all, he's overcome much worse odds simply to make it to this position, fighting off the idea of a second option to become Atlanta's second-leading receiver this preseason.

The goal has always been playing football at the highest level, and while Malone accomplished that in an emphatic manner this summer, there's still more to do ... potentially over a lengthy professional career.

But what about his small-school background and overlooked stature? Or the even smaller hometown from which he comes from?

For Malone, none of it matters - it never has. And he plans on proving it for years to come, inspiring the next generation of those told to focus on "Plan B" and showing that his belief, even in the darkest of times, was right all along.

“If you can play ball, you can play ball,” Malone said.

You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @ByDanielFlick

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