Teams have been glued to the draft, searching for “the next Deebo Samuel,” ever since 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel emerged as a dual-threat playmaker in 2019. Nothing has been able to match his achievement thus far, but this year, there is a prospect making Samuel fans jealous.
Of course, the 49ers are hosting that player on a visit. A busy pre-draft schedule is expected to include a visit to San Francisco on Wednesday for Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley, according to Aaron Wilson of KCRP2 in Houston. With Western Kentucky, Corley caught 259 passes for 3,035 yards and 29 touchdowns over his four years there. For 92 yards, he also ran 16 times. At 5-11 and 215 pounds, Corley is built similarly to Samuel, and he uses that stature with equal ferocity after the catch, even though his running statistics aren’t as impressive as Samuel’s were at South Carolina. According to Pro Football Focus, he had 36 receptions behind the line of scrimmage last season, averaging 9.2 yards after the catch per reception. When Corley was thrown 0–9 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, he also recorded 8.8 yards after the catch by reception. Samuel Corley’s player comp is easily understandable in NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein’s draft profile. With the 49ers starting to position themselves for the upcoming few seasons, in which playmakers like Samuel might be moving on, it’s also easy to see how Corley might slot in right away.
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