The 2024 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 25, and runs through Saturday, April 27. With Michigan coming off a national championship, all eyes will be on Wolverines running back Blake Corum as he moves onto the next level of the sport after breaking several records in Ann Arbor.
Corum was a key member of a team that reached the College Football Playoff for three consecutive years, and that won the national championship in 2024. Corum was in Heisman talks in 2022 before he tore his meniscus, and earned All-Big Ten and first-team All-American honors in both 2022 and 2023. He rushed for over 1,400 yards in 2022 and over 1,200 yards in 2023 and amassed 47 touchdowns over his two most recent seasons.
Blake Corum: Scouting Report
Running backs are a lower-value group in the draft, so even the best of the best likely won’t start to go until the second round. Corum is projected to end up as a late Day 2 or early Day 3 selection, and will likely be the RB2 or RB3 wherever he ends up.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein said of Corum:
Compact runner with average size, outstanding contact balance and a rare talent for finding and fitting into small crevices for short-yardage conversions and touchdowns. Corum is a bit of a one-speed runner lacking sizzle and wiggle but gets it downhill with timing and finishes runs with good forward lean. He has the hard-hat mentality to handle heavy workloads and can exploit defenses that fatigue or miss their run fits. The talent doesn’t stand out on its own, but he’s strong, competitive and team-oriented with exceptional football character. He can catch it when needed and is above average in picking up the blitz, which could earn him status as a three-down backup with a chance to find early carries as an RB2/3.
Mock Draft landing spots
Corum lands all over the place in the different mock drafts floating around. Some have him sticking with Jim Harbaugh and heading to the Chargers, who recently lost starter Austin Ekeler. Others see him backing up James Cook in Buffalo or earning a rotational spot with the Cowboys, who lost Tony Pollard in the offseason. Green Bay may also be looking to replace Aaron Jones with a rookie contract, and Arizona is another possible landing spot.
Fantasy football implications
Corum’s likelihood of being a breakout star as a rookie is low, but the possibility of him following the Kyren Williams path of 2023 (the two have no shortage of similarities) is not out of the question with an injury or two on the depth chart ahead of Corum. He isn’t worth an early pick in a dynasty league, as he isn’t expected to be the lead back on any team — the ceiling for this season seems to be a rotational spot in a two- or three-back scheme.
If he ends up with Harbaugh, we may see more of him due to their Michigan connection. Depending on who the Cowboys pick up in the remainder of the offseason, Corum could see some action in Dallas. If he ends up somewhere like Buffalo or Green Bay, with a clear lead back, his fantasy value will not likely be as significant in the upcoming season.