A video from New York Jets training camp could have shed light on how the team will use their rookie wide receiver
When the New York Jets selected Malachi Corley in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft, his reputation as the “YAC King” almost assured that his average depth of target would be low. After all, Corley’s collegiate tape is littered with highlights of him receiving a shallow pass and making the most of his opportunities after the catch.
With head coach Robert Saleh implying that Corley still had “a long way to go” as a route runner, this Jets training camp clip may have given a preview on how the team plans on using their rookie wide receiver this season.
AARON RODGERS TD TO GARRETT WILSON 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/5gLLr0OvlP
— Let's Talk Jets! (@TalkJetsRadio) July 27, 2024
While the focus of this play is the connection between Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and receiver Garrett Wilson (and deservedly so), there’s something more interesting at play here. That’s Corley lining up as the halfback in this formation. More interesting is that Corley wasn’t just used as a distraction in the backfield. In fact, he was actually asked to block. This is important to note for a few reasons.
The first, and perhaps most exciting, is that it signals the team intends to utilize a player based on their strengths. Much like how the San Francisco 49ers use Deebo Samuel as a running back, we’re seeing the Jets look to emulate that with Corley in the offense. Considering that he was asked to pass block, it means that the team isn’t just putting Corley back there to be a gimmick to confuse opposing defenses.
There will likely be multiple sub-package plays where the rookie will be in the backfield. This will allow other players to play the slot while still giving the Jets a dynamic threat out of the backfield.
The other interesting thing to note is that Corley has extremely limited experience lining up as a running back. Throughout his four-year tenure at Western Kentucky, Corley lined up in the backfield only 37 times out of a possible 2,035 snaps. For those counting at home, that’s less than two percent of his collegiate snaps.
While we should applaud the Jets’ innovative thought process, it should be understood that this will be a work in progress. That’s not to say it’s impossible, however.
Stylistically, Corley’s most common NFL comparison is the aforementioned Samuel. Like Corley, Samuel did not play in the backfield often at South Carolina. We’ve since seen the Gamecocks product carve out an impressive NFL career not just as a wide receiver, but as a utility option in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
While it’s hard to compare Nathaniel Hackett’s coaching prowess to Shanahan, emulating an incredibly successful offense is a step in the right direction. If the Hilltoppers’ prospect is anything like his “YAC King” moniker suggests, he’ll be giving opponents fits both at receiver and from the backfield.
