The 2024 NFL Draft is fast approaching. The PFF big board is live, mock draft season is in full swing and the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine has wrapped up.
This year’s running back class has excellent depth and many different skill sets that NFL teams will covet. Texas’ Jonathon Brooks, Michigan’s Blake Corum and Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright lead this diverse class and will look to become immediate contributors in the NFL.
Let's look at Michigan‘s Blake Corum, who recovered from a meniscus tear before the 2023 season and went on to score 27 rushing touchdowns — six more than the next closest player in college football.
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SCOUTING SUMMARY
Corum was one of the most productive backs in the country in 2022, and he was on his way to being a top-75 selection had he not torn his meniscus late in the season.
He is on the smaller side at 5-foot-8, but he weighs around 210 pounds. His smaller frame means he has shorter strides, which does affect his overall long speed and sideline ability.
However, they also help yield his calling card as a back: his precise footwork and elite short-area explosiveness. As a pass-catcher, he has very natural hands. In pass protection, he is willing, but his lack of size causes him to be overwhelmed at times.
WINS ABOVE AVERAGE
WAA represents the number of wins a player is worth over an average college football player and is a metric that evaluators can utilize to assess performance. It combines how well a player performed in each facet of play (using PFF grades) and how valuable each facet is to winning football games. The result is a first-of-its-kind metric that allows for cross-positional valuation and predicts future value at the player and team levels.
HOW CORUM RANKS IN THE STABLE METRICS
Running back is perhaps the most dependent position in all of football, as most rushing production comes from the quality of the run blocking, the box count and, subsequently, the quality of the passing attack.
If looking to separate running backs, the best way to do so is by isolating them from their teammates and identifying how much they can create yardage on their own. While rushing grades and output are far less stable than other metrics, running backs must make defenders miss, create yards after contact or contribute in the passing game to maximize their value. Running back yards per route run is one of the most stable metrics when projecting value from year to year.
Scheme fits are incredibly important when it comes to running back, and grades in each scheme provide context to what situation they would be most successful in.
Corum’s metrics in the most predictive of data subsets are very respectable.
Corum wasn’t quite the same player in 2023, but his 2022 campaign shows what his ceiling could look like. That season, Corum posted a 96.2 rushing grade and a 94.9 gap-scheme grade, both top-10 marks.
While a gap scheme might best fit Corum's skill set, he still posted an 86.4 grade on zone runs throughout his career. He will likely be best suited in a backfield by committee, but he is a tough runner who forced .23 missed tackles per attempt in college.
CORUM’S PROJECTIONS
Here are Corum’s rookie-year rushing projections for yards per carry and yards after contact per carry.
Let’s look at Corum’s receiving projections for yards per reception and completion percentage in the average passing offense.
BOTTOM LINE FROM PFF's 2024 NFL DRAFT GUIDE
Corum was not as efficient after his meniscus tear, but the traits of an effective back were present in 2023, specifically toward the end of the season. He lacks elite overall athleticism, but he is precise, sees the field well, has good contact balance and brings good third-down abilities. And that should yield a contributing role in the NFL.
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