WKU Football receiver Malachi Corley was selected by the New York Jets with the first pick of the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Friday.
Corley was the 65th overall pick in the Draft, and became the 39th Hilltopper to be drafted into the NFL. He is the second-highest drafted Hilltopper ever in the NFL Draft, behind only Forrest Lamp, who was the No. 38 overall pick in the 2017 Draft. Corley is the first Hilltopper selected by the Jets since Davlin Mullen was taken in the eighth round of the 1983 Draft and the fourth Hilltopper overall to be selected by the Jets.
Former Logan County Cougar Joseph Jefferson was the first Topper to be drafted in the third round. That came in the 2002 draft. The charter member of the Logan County Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame was selected by Indianapolis, and he became a starter in the Colts backfield for Coach Tony Dungy during the Peyton Manning quarterbacking era.
Jefferson, who was also named to the list of the 50 Greatest Hilltopper Football Players, had the honor of being the highest draft choice ever for WKU for 15 years until Lamp went in the second round.
The Hilltoppers have now had a player selected within the first three rounds of the last three NFL Drafts. Brodric Martin was picked by the Detroit Lions with the 96th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and DeAngelo Malone was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the 82nd overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Quarterback Bailey Zappe was also picked in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Corley is the fourth player WKU has had drafted under Head Coach Tyson Helton.
Corley – nicknamed "YAC King" for his ability after the catch – appeared in 49 games with 32 starts over his four seasons with the Hilltoppers. He totaled 3,033 yards and 29 touchdowns on 259 receptions during that period – an average of 61.9 yards per game over the 49 games. Corley broke the program's career receptions record in the 2023 regular-season finale, and finished second in program history in touchdown receptions, and third in receiving yards.
Last fall in his final season with the Hilltoppers, the Campbellsville, Kentucky, native started all 12 games in which he appeared. He finished the season with 984 yards and 11 touchdowns on 79 receptions. The 79 receptions rank eighth in a single season in program history, while the 11 touchdown receptions are tied for sixth in a single season. Corley posted a career-high 207 yards receiving in WKU's win at Louisiana Tech on Oct. 5, and he also tied a career-high with three touchdown receptions in that game. He is one of two players in CUSA to record over 200 receiving yards in a game in 2023 and was the third player in program history to record 200-plus receiving yards in a single game.
He was named CUSA's Offensive Player of the Week, Senior Bowl Co-Offensive Player of the Week, and East-West Shrine Bowl Offensive Breakout Player of the Week following the game against the Bulldogs. Corley had a season-high 10 receptions in the Nov. 18 win over Sam Houston. He had at least four catches in each game he played in 2023 and posted at least one touchdown reception in eight of the 12 games he played.
Corley ranked second in CUSA in scoring-TDs (5.67 points/game), second in receptions per game (6.58), third in receiving yards per game (82.0), ninth in all-purpose yards (82.92), first in touchdown receptions (11), second in total receptions (79), and fourth in total receiving yards (984).
He was named 2023 All-CUSA First Team Offense – the second straight season he received First Team honors. Corley was invited to the Reese's Senior Bowl, where he was named the top wide receiver on the National Team by defensive back teammates during practice for the event.