This is what we’ve been waiting for, fantasy football enthusiasts. The NFL Draft is under way, and we finally get to see where the rookie prospects are going to launch their professional careers. And NFL Draft landing spots allow us to start to zero in on fantasy football and dynasty rookie draft pick values. We look at running back Blake Corum and how he’ll fit with the Los Angeles Rams.
Throughout the draft, we’ll take a closer look at fantasy-relevant prospects, giving you an overview of their strengths and weaknesses, and assessing their fantasy value in both redraft and dynasty formats.
Let’s dig in.
- 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Dynasty Rookie Draft Simulator
- DBro’s Dynasty Rookie Draft Primers
- 2024 NFL Draft Guide
Fantasy Football Rookie Draft Outlook
Fitz’s Fantasy Football Outlook
The Los Angeles Rams are adding some national championship pedigree to their RB room, selecting Michigan’s Blake Corum with the83rd overall pick of the draft.
Corum was Michigan’s lead running back last season, fueling the Wolverines’ 15-0 season with 1,245 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns. Corum was also a prolific producer in 2022, with 1,463 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns.
Corum isn’t especially big (5-7½, 205 pounds) or fast (4.53), but he might be the best pure runner in this RB class. He has excellent vision, good acceleration and lateral agility, and the sort of exceptional contact balance you might expect from a back with such a compact build.
Despite his smaller stature, Corum was a workhorse for Michigan, averaging 18.7 carries per game over the last two years. His 59 touchdowns over the last three years suggest that Corum has a nose for the end zone.
Although Corum carried a heavy load for Michigan, he isn’t likely to see anything close to that sort of usage with the Rams, who already have Kyren Williams on the roster. Corum wasn’t a prolific pass catcher in college and might not see a lot of action on passing downs. Perhaps the biggest concern with Corum from a fantasy standpoint is that a lack of size and speed could limit his ceiling.
It will be interesting to see how Rams head coach Sean McVay deploys his running backs this year. Williams was one of the most heavily worked running backs in the league last season. averaging 21.7 touches a game during the regular season. Williams is only 5-9 and weighs less than 200 pounds, so it makes sense to lighten his load.
Corum will probably have a limited role as a rookie, barring injury. But he’ll be an important handcuff, since he could have a valuable role if anything were to happen to Williams.
I’m fond of the ultra-productive Corum and have him ranked RB3 in this rookie class. My overall dynasty ranking for Corum is RB32. In superflex rookie drafts, Corum will probably be selected somewhere in the third round. In 1QB rookie drafts, he’ll probably go somewhere in the back half of the second round.
For redraft, Corum had a predraft FantasyPros Expert Consensus Ranking of RB44 in half-point PPR redraft leagues. Corum’s predraft Underdog best-ball ADP was RB41. I’m tentatively ranking him RB41 in redraft.
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Thor’s NFL Draft Profile & Player Comp
Blake Corum (Michigan)
5076/205 | RAS: 8.24
Player Comparison: Devin Singletary
Blake Corum went ballistic for 1,463 rushing yards in 2022 despite tearing the meniscus in his left knee on Nov. 19 against Illinois. Were it not for that injury, he may have entered last year’s draft.
Corum handled an even bigger workload in 2023 but wasn’t as efficient, perhaps still feeling the after-effects of the injury, with his YPC dropping from 5.9 to 4.9. Still, he rushed for 1,245 yards and an incredible 27 TDs during Michigan’s title run.
Corum has a bowling ball build. And like the break of a spinning bowling ball, he has very good lateral agility. More skilled than physically gifted, Corum’s patience and vision almost always have him making the correct decision behind the line.
Though he categorically lacks long speed — he’ll get chased down from behind on the instances he reaches open field — Corum has a very quick accelerator he punches emphatically once he sees his opening. He has arm-tackle-breaking muscle in addition to evasive agility to make the first man miss.
He wasn’t used much as a receiver at Michigan the past two years. In instances he was, though, he was shown to be a reliable outlet receiver with soft hands who converts the looks he’s given. Better pass-blocker than you’d think at his size. More than willing to scrap, recognizes where the danger is coming from and gets wide and low in front of it. Larger defenders in the NFL will run him over but he’ll make them work for it.
Corum’s lack of elite attributes caps his upside but he’ll be a valued contributor early. He’s a high-floor, medium-ceiling prospect who figures to go in round three.
Check out more NFL Draft profiles and player comps from Thor in our 2024 NFL Draft Guide
Dynasty Rookie Draft Rankings
Our analysts provide their latest rookie draft rankings below. And also check out our expert consensus dynasty rookie draft rankings!
More Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice
- DBro’s Dynasty Rookie Draft Primers
- DBro’s Top 50 Rankings & Player Notes
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