In 2023, the Rams and head coach Sean McVay decided to engineer a drastic change in their overall run game. McVay had been one of the NFL’s most effective proselytizers of the zone run game for years. But last season, McVay (and primary running back Kyren Williams) called and ran more gap power stuff than any other team in the NFL — on Wham and Duo alone, the Rams gained 510 yards and 284 yards after contact, and scored eight touchdowns, on 115 carries. The Patriots ranked second with 82 carries, so this was a Real Thing for McVay.
Now, when you look at backs in this draft class with the most success in those concepts, you can start with Michigan’s Blake Corum. In the 2023 NCAA season, no back ran more out of Wham and Duo than Corum, who gained 276 yards, and 81 yards after contact in those two concepts, scoring three touchdowns on 38 carries. Notre Dame’s Audric Estime, who went to the Broncos in the fifth round, ranked second with 27 such carries. Troy’s Kimani Vidal ranked third with 24 such carries. So, Blake Corum to the Rams with the 83rd overall pick in the third round is one of the tighter scheme fits you’ll see in any draft.
Moreover, McVay isn’t bringing Corum in to replace Williams — he sees them as two backs who already know how to do what he wants his backs to do.
This, BTW, was a big change-up from the Rams' previous run schemes under Sean McVay. Kyren Williams fits it, and so does Corum. https://t.co/bgbmcJP2vu
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) May 4, 2024
“For me, one of the things that jumped off is there’s a lot of traits that reminded me of Kyren Williams,” McVay said of Corum after the pick was made. “Obviously I love Kyren and he’s been so important and just the human being, but then also when you just look at the way he works at it, the production and the things that he was able to bring to our offense last year and even really some of the things that he worked through his rookie year. I think there’s a lot of similarities.
“Kyren will put Blake under his arm and be a great mentor and kind of a leader but [running backs coach] Ron Gould was really excited about him, [Offensive Coordinator] Mike LaFleur, I obviously loved his game and he’s got a bunch of tape to be able to evaluate. He’s been a part of an incredibly successful program. He’s been the bell cow for them in the midst of the successful runs that they’ve had the last few years. And so we’re really looking forward to getting to work with him.”
