Dynasty fantasy football managers who believe a running back prospect can be something truly special in the NFL immediately have their faith tested on that player when they get drafted into a scenario where a back coming off of a great season stands directly in the way of the talented newcomer having a big fantasy impact early in their career.
That is exactly the case with Blake Corum in 2024 after the Los Angeles Rams spent third-round draft capital on the Michigan Wolverine product to join Kyren Williams in the backfield behind Matthew Stafford.
What can dynasty managers expect from Corum heading into his rookie year in the NFL?
Should You Draft Blake Corum in Dynasty Fantasy Football?
Corum proved he could be an ultra-productive feature back in college with his leading role in the Wolverines offense on their way to a College Football Playoff National Championship in 2023. He is a compact, physical runner who runs with exceptional leverage and showcases post-graduate knowledge of how to navigate through traffic by pressing the hole effectively in both gap and zone rushing schemes.
By all accounts, he is a rock-solid running back prospect who has the tools to be an effective early down back in the NFL. Yet, I’m not sure I can say he is a far-and-away-better player than the current incumbent starting running back (Williams), who was outstanding by almost any metric in 2023.
Corum caught just 27 passes over his final two years in college, which is five fewer than the amount Williams caught last season with the Rams in just 12 games of action. It’s not that Corum can’t contribute anything in the passing game, it’s just hard to project him stealing work away from Williams in this department based on what we saw from him in college.
Williams was also very effective as a leading ball carrier in 2023, averaging an exceptional 5.02 yards per carry (YPC) in his second year in the NFL. Christian McCaffrey was the only other running back with a 5+ YPC mark with 200+ opportunities on the ground last year.
Corum has some of the traits that made Williams an effective ball carrier last year, but it is far from a certainty he is going to steal a significant amount of work away from Williams in his rookie year. Williams still has two years left on his rookie deal, which makes a 50/50 split one of the best scenarios to play out for Corum early in his career.
Expect Corum to come off the board around the second or third round in your upcoming dynasty rookie draft.
Who Is Corum?
Background
For those of you who are a bit unfamiliar with the leading man in the University of Michigan backfield in 2023, Corum was a standout player from St. Frances Academy in Maryland, which helped make him a highly-touted recruit at the running back position after his 2019 season.
College Production
Corum’s college production got off to a bit of a slow start after seeing only 26 carries for 77 yards and two scores his freshman year in a crowded backfield alongside Hassan Haskins and Zach Charbonnet.
MORE: 2024 Dynasty Rookie Rankings
Charbonnet would eventually transfer to UCLA ahead of the 2021 campaign, which led to a significantly expanded role for Corum heading into his sophomore season. He finished his second year with 1,093 total yards and 12 TDs on 168 total touches working alongside Haskins.
After suffering a knee injury towards the end of his junior year, Corum returned for his senior season, where he led the nation with 25 rushing touchdowns in 2023.
Injury History
Corum suffered a torn meniscus back in Nov. 2022, which resulted in him receiving surgery to repair his injured knee. In addition, Corum missed two games in 2021 while dealing with an ankle injury.
Corum’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- Great feel for navigating through traffic inside the tackles; consistently presses the hole to churn out extra yardage with detailed vision in both gap- and zone-scheme concepts.
- Plays with exceptional leverage, is rarely knocked backward, and consistently falls forward to help churn out extra yardage.
- Highly functional jump cuts in tight quarters can string together multiple quick moves but he doesn’t overdo it by trying to bounce every run outside.
- Consistent leg churner, whether probing for space in the trenches while pressing the hole or when engaged with defenders.
- Above average start-stop ability; nice burst out of sharp cuts.
- Great instincts for when to get skinny and squeak through small gaps in between the tackles, which helped his rushing touchdown production skyrocket in 2023.
Weaknesses
- Pass protection consistency could improve; failed to identify his pass-blocking assignment before releasing into the flats on multiple reps and took poor angles.
- Route tree as a pass-catching threat is a bit limited compared to his peers, which could prevent him from becoming a true three-down back at the next level; has flashed the talent of a capable pass catcher on occasion but doesn’t have the production or diverse route tree on tape to suggest he will be an instant contributor in the passing game in the NFL.
- Despite a solid, compact build and playing with great leverage, he didn’t consistently overwhelm defenders with sheer power; there isn’t a consistent elite power punch when engaging defenders.
- Ball security was a slight issue in 2023; averaged a fumble every 84 touches through the first 14 games of his senior year.
- Durability concerns with both knee and ankle injuries costing him time over his sophomore and junior seasons.
- While there were some moments where Corum showcased enough speed to take the edge and turn the corner, I wouldn’t classify him as a home-run hitter at the NFL level.