Blake Corum, RB Michigan: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Corum was a four-star recruit from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Md. in the class of 2020
Michigan running back Blake Corum’s Heisman Trophy race ended in 2022 with a torn meniscus. The senior can rebound this season and solidify himself as a top 100 selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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Blake Corum, RB Michigan: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Senior running back from Marshall, Va.
Background: Corum was a four-star recruit from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Md. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 129 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 105 for Rivals, and No. 115 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 120th in the nation with an 84 grade out of 100. Corum was the 2019 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year when he carried the ball 172 times for 1,438 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also caught 13 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns. As a junior, Corum rushed for 1,415 yards to go along with 280 receiving yards and 20 total touchdowns. He was selected to participate in the Under Armour All-American Game. Corum was born on Nov. 25, 2000.
Injuries & Off-Field: Missed two games (2021) with an ankle injury, needed surgery for a 2022 torn meniscus in his left knee
Awards: 2021 Third Team All-Big Ten (Coaches), 2022 First Team All-Big Ten, 2022 First Team All-American, 2022 Big Ten Running Back of the Year, 2022 Chicago Tribune Silver Football Winner, Bank of Ann Arbor Community Award
Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, and punt coverage units, only one fumble in 2021 and 2022, rocked up build in a small frame, compact build with a low center of gravity, presses close to his line before hitting the hole, excellent vision to weave between traffic, smooth acceleration and burst pop early in the play, acceleration and burst carries him to the defense’s third level, loose and twitchy lower half, ideal agility and change of direction skills, lateral agility and bounce, light and nimble feet, gears up and down with ease, strings together multiple cuts, shifty to make defenders miss one-on-one, shiftiness to shake tacklers in a phone booth, mixes tempo and hesitation moves to freeze defenders, the first Maryland defensive back always missed the tackle (2022), doesn’t fear contact, above-average contact balance, keeps legs churning in the pile, low arm tackles slip off him, willing to lower his shoulder and take a hit in pass pro, zero dropped passes in 2022, catches the ball cleanly, untapped receiving upside
Cons: Age, took a lot of punishment in 2022 and was injured late, size will raise questions, a little high-cut, doesn’t have elite speed, seems to doubt his speed when faced with opportunities to bounce runs outside, not an angle eraser, burst trails off 12 yards downfield, looked less explosive from 2021 to 2022, occasional lapses in vision, struggles to escape contact in the backfield, lacks the bulk and power to create inside the tackles consistently, contact balance falls short of elite, contact high usually brings him down, limited receiving production in 2022, runs a limited route tree, limited reps in pass pro, size limits pass pro upside, likely works in a two-headed backfield in the NFL instead of as a feature back
Overview: Corum has special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, and punt coverage units. He was one of college football's most productive running backs in 2022, forcing more than 70 missed tackles and generating 36 runs of ten or more yards while only fumbling once. Corum’s frame is small and a little high-cut, but a ton of muscle is loaded into his compact build. NFL teams will question his age, size, and longevity after the hits and injury he suffered in 2022. The senior presses close to his line before hitting the hole. He has excellent vision to weave between traffic, but there are occasional lapses. Corum seems to doubt his speed when faced with opportunities to bounce runs outside. He isn’t an angle eraser and doesn’t have elite speed. However, his smooth acceleration and burst carry him to the defense’s third level. Corum looked less explosive in 2022 compared to 2021, possibly because of the muscle he added. The Virginia native has a loose and twitchy lower half that allows for ideal agility and change of direction. His lateral agility and bounce are amplified by his light and nimble feet. Corum gears up and down with ease and strings together multiple cuts. His shiftiness makes defenders miss in a phone booth. Corum mixes tempo and hesitation moves to freeze defenders. He doesn’t fear contact and has above-average contact balance, but he struggles to escape contact in the backfield. The All-American lacks the bulk and power to create inside the tackles against loaded boxes, even if he keeps his legs churning in the pile. Contact high on his frame usually brings him down. Corum catches the ball cleanly and has untapped receiving upside, but he only ran a limited route tree at Michigan. The Wolverines also rarely targeted Corum in 2022. He didn’t take too many reps in pass protection but still showcased the willingness to stonewall blitzers. His size limits his ability to impact larger defenders in pass protection.
Overall, Corum is a loose and smooth athlete with some of the best feet for a running back in the 2024 class, but his size and speed are limiting factors that slot him into a rotational role at the next level. Corum will be an excellent value selection for whichever team selects him.
Role & Scheme Fit: Rotational back in a gap or inside zone scheme
Round Projection: Mid Second to Early Third
Size: 5'8", 213 lbs. (Unofficial)
Submitted: 08-09-23