With the 83rd pick of the 2024 NFL draft, the Los Angeles Rams selected Blake Corum, one of the greatest Michigan Wolverines in program history.
Corum rushed for 3,737 yards and a program-record 58 rushing touchdowns in his career. In 2023, Corum had 1,245 yards on the ground and a single-season program-record 27 touchdowns for Michigan.
Corum will be in the same city as former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, but he will don a different jersey.
Corum heads southwest for the first time in his career and joins one of the better offenses in the NFL. The Rams have former Detroit Lion Matthew Stafford at quarterback and a pair of elite targets: Cooper Kupp and Puca Nacua. Last year, the Rams’ Kyren Williams rushed for 1,144 yards — an average of five yards per carry. So Corum is not expected to be the lead back. Instead, I would expect roughly a 65-35 split in which Corum takes a lot of short-yardage carries similar to his role at Michigan.
Corum is still returning to his 2022 form after injuring a ligament in his knee. He excelled at picking up violent yardage last year, and there is definitely a need for that in the modern NFL. He doesn’t have the long speed to break off 50-plus yard touchdowns in the NFL, but his lateral agility, low center of gravity and vision mean he can do great work between the tackles.
The Rams have a history of hitting on midround picks. Current general manager Les Snead has landed high-end players such as Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Kobie Turner, Kyren Williams and more than a half dozen more starters in the third round or later. The previously listed players are a tough standard to live up to, but Corum could very well be the next “hit” by L.A.
The key for Corum going forward in health. He will not be asked to take the same number of carries he was at Michigan, but keeping his knee in good condition is critical.