WR Draft Prospect with Deebo Samuel Comp to Visit Panthers

An underrated receiver will take a trip to Carolina in the near future.

Teams around the league will begin to bring in prospects for 30 visits in the near future, getting another opportunity to talk and learn more about the players in the 2024 NFL Draft class.

According to Josh Edwards of CBS Sports, the Carolina Panthers will host Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on a pre-draft visit, along with the Browns, Ravens, Steelers, Cowboys, Buccaneers, Seahawks and 49ers.

In four years at WKU, Corley totaled 259 receptions for 3,035 yards and 29 touchdowns. He's currently projected as a late day two/early day three pick but his stock appears to be rising as we inch closer to the draft. 

Panthers legendary wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. gave his stamp of approval on the talented youngster last month when breaking down his film.

"Malachi Corley is the steal of the draft. Best player on his team. He got that dog in him too. He's going to get clumped into the well, he didn't play any competition. He didn't. But the competition he did play on, he was doing this (making big plays) the whole game. (Stiff arm motion) little guy, little guy, little guy. He is the steal of the draft.

According to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, Corley is compared to Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers.

"Corley is a big, physical wideout who has been asked to carry a heavy workload for Western Kentucky using his talent after the catch. Corley’s highlight reel will be full of broken tackles and general carnage left in his wake. He’s an average route-runner with the tools to improve, but a disappointing drop rate and contested-catch rate are concerns relative to the way he plays the game in space. Like Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel when they were prospects, Corley has had a heavy percentage of his targets schemed around him and he will need to prove he can become more than just a quick-game bully or gadget guy. He’s good at what his team asked him to do, which is a great jump-off point for evaluators considering him as a Day 2 selection and future starter."

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