**Blake Corum has since declared he is returning to school for the 2023 season**
NEXT ON OUR SCOUTING REPORTS IS BLAKE CORUM. CHECK OUT OUR OTHER 2023 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORTS HERE
- Height: 5’8″
- Weight: 200 Lbs
- College: Michigan
- Year: Junior
- Position: Running Back
BACKGROUND
Blake Corum is a running back prospect who is twitched up, sudden and sharp while displaying insane agility skills. He may not be the most talked about 2023 NFL Draft-eligible running back but he deserves more discussion and shows the skills to be among the top running backs in this class.
Blake Corum is from Marshall, Virginia, where he attended St Frances Academy in Baltimore. He left high school rated as a 4-star and the #12 running back in his recruiting class. Corum committed to Michigan where he had the opportunity to head to campus in January 2020 as an early recruit where he quickly grabbed the attention of the Michigan coaching staff.
On a conference call before the 2020 season, Offensive Coordinator Josh Gattis said that Corum was “as fast as advertised” and also said they had timed him running a high 4.4 40-yard dash. Gattis also praised Corum for his leadership skills and his maturity. He also had a great quote saying “[he’s] an undersized guy because of his height. The heart, strength and speed he brings he packs a punch.”. Corum certainly does that.
Corum had a breakout year in 2021 after featuring sporadically as a true freshman. In his Sophomore year, Corum appeared in all 12 games. Corum started the year with 3 straight 100-yard games becoming the first Wolverine to do so since 2011. He finished the year with over 950 yards and with 11 touchdowns on the ground, but also had over 140 yards and an extra touchdown as a receiver. But, as another string to his bow, Corum was also nominated the kickoff returner where he was able to rack up another 304 yards.
He went on to be an All-Big Ten selection as well as an Academic All-Big Ten Honoree, showing his tremendous work ethic.
Watch the video below which highlights Blake Corum’s amazing agility, speed, dynamism and suddenness.
STRENGTHS
- Determined and persistent
- Slippery
- Insane agility
- Flexibility
- Separator and space finder
Simply, Blake Corum is a space finder. He has excellent vision to spot space, get separation and be elusive. He is able to anticipate and follow his blockers but also has the agility and speed to make plays on his own. Corum is a tenacious, determined and urgent player with skills that will transfer to the next level.
Elusive
Blake Corum is such a dynamic, explosive running back prospect because of how slippery and elusive he is. Athletically, he is extremely twitched up and has seriously deadly speed. He has reported a 4.40s 40-yard dash while at Michigan which is insanely good for his weight and stature. This speed means he is extremely difficult to tackle, especially in space. Then you add his agility and elusiveness and he is a problem causer for defences.
Agility
Corum’s running style is immediate, impatient, physical and hasty. Not only does he have great speed, but he is extremely agile too. As far as going that he is one of the most agile running backs in this class. His razor-sharp changes of direction are rapid, he can put his foot in the ground and move laterally with bite and power and his energetic, active and nimble footwork gives him the hustle and hurry to be a threat on every down. Corum is a creative, inventive, clever and imaginative runner and hunts open space. If he can slip into the open field, he can rattle off big yardage often with explosive plays.
Contact Balance
Then we come to Corum’s contact balance. Corum has the power, intensity and physicality to ride tackles and has the greasiness to escape tackles. He is able to fight through contact to gain extra yards. But, it is his agility to be able to play with such body control and flexibility, while remaining so sudden as a runner, which sets him apart. Corum’s size means he has a low centre of gravity, but he also has the bulk and lower body strength to bypass tacklers and evade being wrapped up.
Receiving Threat
As a passing option, Corum offers a good threat and nice potential as a receiver. When he is targeted he is a legitimate option on screens and sweeps, but he also has the vision and the awareness to be a check-down, dump-off option. As a pass protector, Corum is able to show good IQ to read and diagnose the pass rush and attempt to pass protect when necessary. He is also able to read and react and find space and make himself available as a receiving option when he can get off his blocks.
Corum offers big play ability and chunk yardage threat on every down due to his ability to make plays happen and avoid defenders. He also checks the ball security boxes and he also offers kick return ability just to add to his already outstanding profile.
WEAKNESSES
- Size
- More receiving touches
The question marks over Corum’s game mainly come from his size. At just 5’8” that does put him at a disadvantage. Despite having good weight and mass, he is short. He does play much bigger than his size and he has the fight and physicality to overcome some deficits but it doesn’t fix everything.
Even though he is compact his play strength will be questioned. While he is powerful as a runner, whether he can hold his own when he needs to pass protect against NFL rushers will be challenging. It is difficult to see him being resourceful in this area. Could he be useful? Sure. But he isn’t likely to be anything other than adequate even when he has his best pass-blocking snaps.
The size issue may also mean that he won’t be as effective in short-yardage scenarios as he has been in college. He has had success on 3rd downs and in short, redzone plays at Michigan, but the NFL is another level. Whether he has the capacity to stay on the field on all 3 downs is unlikely. Corum has been trying to add to his strength though with Jim Harbaugh calling him a “weight room stalker“.
From what we have seen from Corum he is an effective receiving threat, but it would be nice to see him utilised more in this area. It would be nice to see him running some routes, especially in intermediate and deep areas. This is a consequence of play calling, not his ability. He is regularly putting himself in a position but isn’t utilised.
Corum has also battled an ankle injury in 2021 which NFL teams will want more information on and his size will also call into question his durability if he is asked too much of.
SUMMARY
Blake Corum is a lively, explosive, electric, elusive playmaker who shows grit, physicality and conviction as a runner. He is a prospect who shows serious speed and skill that will be a nightmare for the opposition to defend. Even when the defence feels they have him contained he has the tricks, balance and slipperiness to fire off chunk plays.
Corum is a player who can win in so many different ways and his agility, craftiness and creativity make him explosive and hazardous with the ball in his hands. You simply can not give him space. Give him an inch and he will take a mile.
As the NFL moves towards the committee of running backs approach, Corum will have opportunities to be successful and productive in the NFL.
How good of a prospect is Blake Corum? Let us know over on Twitter @NinetynineYards
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Image Credit: MLive.com
Video Credit: Sillsy Presents, PSC Highlights & Cc_tv YouTube