Blake Corum - Draft Evaluation

They can't measure Blake's intangibles cuz they are of the charts.

It would be hilarious to see the Seahawks draft him and trade Charbonnet.

I agree that Blake's 40 time and 20 shuttle time will be crucial to his draft status, but I have to believe there is a certain coach out in LA that would not let him slip past him at Pick 106 (top of the 4th round) IF he is still there...

Blake himself accounted for more tds than the entire PSU, OSU, Iowa, Bama and Washington offenses when they played Michigan.

He'll do 30+ reps of 225 and look very fluid with the best change of direction in the field drills.

He'll probably run a slower-than-we-want 40 and his vertical won't be impressive....but he is Ekeler's height + 10 pounds.

Whoever ends up with Corum will be more than happy about it. Blake the Great!!!

Well, he's definitely going to get drafted. It's not if, but when.

As for wear and tear, you're not drafting a running back to play until he's 34. You're drafting him to play for a few years, and then you'll replace him. Corum might break down by the time he's 29. That's fine. The team can move on to the next hot item on the RB market by then.

It's too early to know what the Combine numbers will say, so we'll see how that shakes out. Kyren Williams ran a slow 40 time, and now he's all the rage for the Rams, and I've seen some "experts" saying he could be the #1 running back for fantasy in 2024.

He's obviously getting drafted, he's far too good not to.  I think he'll go pretty high by RB standards.  If I were drafting, I wouldn't be that worried about the wear and tear aspect; all RBs are pretty short term prospects in the modern NFL anyway.  He's a decent route runner and receiver if you need to use him that way, and his patience and vision are unparalleled.  He'll be a good pickup for someone, and I think there's at least a decent upside chance that he becomes a star.

Pre-injury, hard to say. Post-injury? He seems like one of those "Harbaugh guys" that will get picked no later than the 5th/6th round because the NFL seems to like Jim's players for end-of-the-roster spots. Then, he'll exceed expectations for a few years and slide gracefully into retirement.

He will be drafted but I would be very surprised if it is before Day 3. His 2023 film compared to his 2022 film makes him look like he lost a step, whether that was coming back from injury or if he actually lost a step doesn't matter to NFL scouts. To us he is Blake the Great, but to scouts he is an undersized RB who has multiple injuries, a lot of wear on the tires, and the most recent film is worse than the prior film. 

But OSU fans say he goes down at first contact!  And, McCarthy is a terrible QB!     

Boy are OSU fans not going to have fun watching the NFL draft this year! 

I love Corum, but I don't think he was the same in 2023-2024 as he was pre-injury. Maybe some of that was a function of him getting bigger and sacrificing some speed/agility.

I think he's probably a 4th/5th round guy. Maybe his popularity pushes him up a round, but the size, speed, and lack of catches (even though I think he could've done a lot more in the passing game) will hurt him. Good backs with size and good college production fall into this range regularly. As a Bears fan, I think of David Montgomery (3rd Rd), Jordan Howard (5th Rd), and Khalil Herbert (6th Rd). It's hard to jump into the top 3 rounds as a RB without an elite trait. 

I know the NFL is a different game than college, I know RBs are less valuable/more replaceable in the NFL than college, I know that even in college they're considered a somewhat overrated position. And I buy all that, the running game is as much the OL as the RB.

But Blake Corum in '22 was the best RB i'd ever seen at Michigan, and Blake Corum in '23 may have lost a step but still was the lead back in a run game we leaned on even with a dynamite QB, and that was with a worse OL than in '22. If he doesn't get drafted, I'd be very surprised. I think he'll have a great NFL career, and has the ability to learn and transform to be an ideal NFL back like he did transform to add power to his game once Hassan Haskins went to the NFL.

I think somewhere in the 5th - 7th.  His biggest issue is that running backs that aren't dynamic are a low priority in the NFL these days.  His lack of speed will hurt.  

I think whoever drafts him will have a great change of pace back, but I just don't see someone making him RB one right away. 

I think his pass catching against Bama was great to have on tape, since he was really utilized in the passing game before that.

He would be back to 2021 speed if he can lose about 15 pounds or so

Blake will be drafted by a team that cares about winning.  and character.  I predict a long career for the young man, and a lot of joy in the community that embraces him.

IMO which doesn't mean much, he put on too much "thickness" and still isn't 100% from injury. He didn't look as explosive or as quick throughout most of the year.

I would expect him to lose some lbs and come in the 4.5s at the combine. I actually think he may test better here than we think with work on his starting time and his shuttle work basically benefiting his 40 plus the 40 specific work he does. 

With that being said I believe his "explosive" numbers will be minimal. I see his long jump and vertical being pretty poor. 

An undersized, 2 down back that doesn't have speed to break a long one is a tough sell in the NFL these days. Most accomplished RB in Michigan history but won't even have a quarter of the NFL career Chris Evans is having.

He's probably a 5th round guy, but if he doesn't go til the 6th or 7th I wouldn't be surprised. RB's are not as valuable as they once were and teams will go in the bargain bin for a good one, so that is part of it.

The NFL doesn't really have offenses that feature bruising backs that tote the rock 20-25 times a game between the tackles and wear you down like Michigan does. He's just not a prototypical NFL RB today. He doesn't have elite speed and no one has seen much evidence of his receiving abilities.

Long break away speed is one of the more overrated traits of a running back. I'd focus more on the 3 cone drill and agility if I was evaluating rb's. You don't get many long runs in the NFL and I'd rather have a guy who can get small in the hole and get something when nothing is there. If you run a 4.5 you can get plenty of big gains if the defense gets out of position. Corum's jump cut and short area quickness is what separates him IMO.

I think he'll hit upper 4.4s.  Maybe 4.48 or 4.49.  I'll guess 4th round to the Eagles.  He's the kind of guy you just want on your team like a Dan Campbell.  He could be a captain as a backup.

Wasn't he the speed guy in 2020-2021? That's my only concern with him. To go from the speed guy to "is he fast enough" would be worrisome. Hopefully it's a matter of shedding some bulk to erase those 40-time concerns.

Would imagine that, at least, Jim would draft him somewhere. Even though I'd imagine he has taken off his Maize-colored glasses, and might have decided that some other RB is better...

for Jim to be looking at Blake still sitting there in the 6th round and say "nah" ?

Don't see that happening. Helluva football player and an even better person. Who wouldn't want that?

I really don't think size is a concern for Blake, I don't think height is that valued in an RB and in terms of muscle composition he is built like an absolute tank.  For his height he is a very large dude, his legs are literally tree trunks. The bigger draft concern for Blake is receiving ability and top end speed as others have noted. Whether it was the added weight or injury or a combination of both he lost a gear from his first couple of years. I think he probably goes in like the 5th would be my guess, 20 years ago he would go higher but the NFL just doesn't value more traditional RB's that much anymore.

I'm betting he goes 5th round unless he runs under a 4.5

Some of y'all need to learn how to take the maize and blue glasses off at times

Teams see a RB that was still very good, but never quite the same after a knee injury <18 months ago. It's unfortunate, but Corum's stock isn't what it looked like in early November 2022. Feels like a vault into the 3rd round is the best case scenario.

I think the 3rd round sounds about right. 

Toughness, blocks well, great vision, does not fumble or take big losses, great work ethic, GREAT character, played in NFL system.  The dude is as tough and thick as a brick/plays bigger than he is. . 

No matter where he gets picked he will be a great addition to any team and make the GM look good.  Don't forget where ever is is training right now they are going to be focused on improving his 40 time.            

He will be gone by the end of the 3rd round.

Think he’ll go a little higher than most on here are saying. 3rd/4th round.

He’s not going to run a crazy 40 but this isn’t a Mike Hart draft situation athletically. 

Combine is going to be huge for Blake. I think he probably played this season as a 4.6-4.7 40 time guy. Combination of coming back from injury and adding mass to help durability definitely slowed him a step this year. I think he will slim down some as he specifically trains for the combine drills and end up running in the 4.5's which is where he needs to be as far as draft stock is concerned.

3rd or 4th round.  Any team with issues on short yardage should be looking at him.

Would fit in with a Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Titans (under Vrabel), type offense. 

Could see Jim taking him as well if he's indeed building the Charger into smash mouth West.

I'd say 5th round, unless he's using the pre-combine training time to shed some of that bulk and regain some quickness. The NFL just doesn't value RBs the same as they used to, and while he could use his power to move guys in college, I don't think he's going to be able to do that to NFL defenders. Couple that with the lost speed and shiftiness we saw this year and I'm just not sure there's a long term place for him at the highest level.

Blake's 40 time will matter to where he gets drafted.  That injury set his overall top speed back but how much?  His inside run improved a ton this year and imo that is huge for him.  Being both a strong inside and ouside runner in the nfl is huge.  Knows how to get skinny in the hole, has that jump step the old L2.  He did it against every defense and against future nfl lbers....

Blake will go in the 3rd round and be a steal. The guy gets tough yards.  

in my opinion Blakes ability to read the defense and shift while he runs is superb.  

I don't expect him to go until round 6or7, but he could definitely catch on and have a long career.... he could also struggle to make a team.   The NFL is hard on backs.

He seems like a nice value pick in the 4/5 range.  He's a weird type of short yardage back in that he's small and shifty but also pretty strong, and he could also make some impact on special teams.  He's not been really involved in the pass game at UM so you don't know if there's anything there that the NFL might like.  

To his credit he's performed well against good defenses with NFL talent; he's not picking up 200 yards against dregs and rushing for 2 ypc against Alabama.  The floor for him against elite talent is decently high.

Yes, Blake Corum will be drafted, my guess is toward the end of the 3rd round.

Where? If you can figure it out, let me know because I'll take an immediate interest in that team.

I thought he was a 2nd round pick prior to injury. We will now have to see how he tests and how many dummies pass on him.