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Cowboys draft 2024: RB Blake Corum scouting report

April 19, 2024
Rose Bowl Game - Alabama v Michigan
Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Here is our scouting report on running back Blake Corum from Michigan

We continue our 2024 NFL Draft review of draft prospects that could interest the Dallas Cowboys. Today we are looking at running back Blake Corum from Michigan.

Blake Corum
RB
Michigan Wolverines
Senior
5’8”
205 lbs
Hand size- 9” (26%)
Arm Length- 28 7/8” (3%)
Wingspan- 70 1/8” (5%)

History:
Blake Corum was given a four-star rating out of high school and was ranked as the 12th best running back nationally. He enrolled with Michigan in 2020 and played in five games as a freshman. He took 26 handoffs and rushed for 77 yards while scoring twice. He averaged only three yards per carry during his first year at Michigan.

In 2021, Corum had his first breakout year and started off strong. In the first three games of the season he rushed for 407 yards and scored seven touchdowns. It was an electrifying start. He ended his sophomore season rushing for 952 yards, 11 rushing touchdowns, one receiving touchdown and gaining 307 yards on kickoff returns.

In 2022, Corum took another leap. He tied a Michigan single-game record by scoring five touchdowns in one game against UConn. He then set a personal record for most rushing yards in a single game the following week against Maryland when he went for 243 rushing yards. He would go on to have eight consecutive games rushing for 100-yards or more and was touted as a name to win the Heisman Trophy. He would end up seventh in the Heisman vote after he tore his meniscus and MCL in mid-November. But he earned a host of other Big 10 accolades and was named All-American.

Recovering from injury, Corum announced he would return for his senior year at Michigan and he was a major factor in helping the Wolverines win the National Championship. Corum would come out firing on all cylinders from Week 1 and scored at least one touchdown in every game of the 2023 season. He would rush for 134 yards and score two touchdowns in the National Championship game and was named Offensive MVP. He ended the season rushing for 1,245 yards and averaged 4.8 yards-per-carry. He would score an outstanding 28 total touchdowns and his 61 total touchdowns for Michigan rank the most in team history (by a large margin).

2023 Statistics:
453 Offensive snaps
258 Rush attempts
1,245 Rush yards
4.8 YPC
27 Rushing TDs
1 Fumble
117 Receiving yards
1 Receiving TD

NFL Combine/Pro Day:
10-Yard split- 1.58s (53%)
40-Yard Time- 4.53s (60%)
Vert- 35.5” (63%)
3C- 6.82s (89%)
Bench- 27 (94%)

Awards:
National Champion (2023)
National Champion Offensive MVP (2023)
All-American (2023)
Big 10 Running back of the Year (2023)
All-Big 10 First-Team (2023)
All-American (2022)
Big 10 Running back of the Year (2022)
All-Big 10 First-Team (2022)
Big 10 MVP Award (2022)
All-Big 10 Third-Team (2021)

Scorecard:
Overall- 83.4
Speed- 68
Acceleration- 69
Agility- 90
Strength- 52
Vision- 89
Contact Balance- 62
Elusiveness- 66
Receiving- 70
Blocking- 61

THE GOOD:

  • Extremely instinctual and very patient as a runner
  • Shows very good vision and knows exactly where to run and the right time to deploy
  • Very intelligent to allow his blocks to develop and does an even better job at following them
  • Cuts sharply to avoid tackles in short space and uses body shifts well to confuse defenders
  • Does adequately well to make cuts in the open field also
  • Shows good versatility playing in both gap and zone running schemes in the Michigan offense
  • Short size gives him good center-of-gravity to run through arm tackles
  • Experience at returning kicks

THE BAD:

  • May not be an every-down back
  • Lacks power to take on every down and short-yardage situations
  • Lack of size places him out of goal line situations
  • Concerns of durability to take on a heavy workload. His 2022 injuries also need investigation
  • Lacks top end speed to breakaway or go for homerun plays

THE FIT:
Blake Corum could be considered the best running back in this year’s class if it wasn’t for a couple of major flaws. The honors and award list is an indicator of how talented he his. He’s very twitchy and bursts quickly in and out of gaps completely confusing defenders and frustrating them with his efficient patience. What makes him so accomplished is his understanding of blocks and gaps along with a very high football IQ. His shift in body angle, footwork and fantastic vision pop off screen the moment you start to watch his tape.

The reason he isn’t considered higher in this year’s class is based on durability. His durability concerns come two-fold, starting with his injuries in 2022. The second part is his size and style of play. He lacks power and strength to hold up as a bell-cow running back and his size requires him to play more as the secondary force on any running back unit in the NFL.

Corum is a tough and solid runner as a complementary back that upgrades an offense. He’s smart, creative and most of all, he’s productive. Expect him to be gone by the middle of the third round and easily make a roster ready for Week 1.

COMPARISON:-
Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears

GRADE:
Mid third-round grade

CONSENSUS RANKING:
72nd
(Consensus ranking based on the average ranking from 90 major scoring services)


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