No one takes a running back in the first round these days, and very few teams will use their second round selection on one. Unless of course, said back is a “generational talent,” as the cliche goes. However, when we get to later on day two in the NFL draft, i.e. into the third round, the RBs start coming off the board. Our latest mock has the Ravens taking a tailback in the 4th round, Trey Benson of Florida State. It looks likely that the Ravens will select a running back at some point, as it is indeed a position of need.
Michigan’s Blake Corum is a name to strongly consider.
He was a back-to-back thousand yard rusher in 2022 (1,463 yards) and 2023 (1,245). Corum nearly had another 1,000-yard rushing season in 2021 (952), as he led the way for the nation’s best ground attack. Michigan led the NCAA in rushing touchdowns in 2021 (39) and 2023 (40) and finished second in 2022 (41), making it clear that the ground game was their identity. Simply put, Corum spent three seasons as the identity of a program that won the Big Ten the past three seasons and claimed the national championship January.
Despite opposing defenses consistently keying in on him, Corum always produced and consistently won. His size and speed may only be average, by NFL standards for his position, but he brings intangibles. He also exceptional at getting yards after contact, and taking passes out of the backfield into the second level. While there are concerns he may have been just been a product of the system in Ann Arbor, given the elite Wolverines offensive lines he had paving the way for him, his track record for making plays speaks for itself.
Being coached by Jim Harbaugh, a man with exceptional NFL coaching chops who encourages his players to be good at life, not just football, provides a tremendous boost to his draft stock. He is certainly worth a mid-round consideration from the Ravens.
