Plus, Jerry Rice’s son.
According to Josh Edwards of CBS Sports, The San Francisco 49ers will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on a pre-draft visit. That’s not the only wideout the Niners have a scheduled visit with.
The other one is a familiar name. USC’s Brenden Rice, yes, that Rice, completed a visit with San Francisco, per Justin Melo. Rice is from my neck of the Woods in Chandler, Arizona. I remember coaching against him in high school and writing scouting reports about him.
He took a screen pass on the second play of the game against us for a touchdown. Good times.
Looking at Sports Info Solutions’ big board for the NFL Draft, they have Rice at WR15 and Corley at WR16. Both are No. 96 and No. 100 overall, which suggests the 49ers are interested in taking a wideout with their third-round pick, much like they did with Danny Gray a few years ago.
Rice, 6’2, 208 pounds, isn’t as physical as you’d expect for a player his size. He knows how to play the position, but separation is an issue, and while Rice ran a 4.5 40-yard dash, a lack of second gear will be the reason he falls to Day 3.
Corley is dynamic with the ball in his hands. He’s a playmaker who does not get tackled by the first defender. Corley, the self-proclaimed “Yac King,” averaged nine yards after the catch per reception, which is second in this draft.
Corley’s struggles come before he has the ball. Western Kentucky effectively used him as a slot receiver. You will not confuse Corley with someone who catches the ball cleanly — or well. And his usage suggested that he wasn’t a polished route runner.
But when you’re talking about receivers at the end of the third round, they’re bound to have some warts on their resume. The takeaway from these visits is that a wide receiver in the third round could be on the horizon.
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