NBA Postseason Best Bets (5/3)
Alex Christenson
Last Updated: 08/26/2023
Blake Corum has established himself as the lead back for Michigan’s potent rushing attack. He is coming off back-to-back 900-plus rushing yard seasons and was third in the Big Ten last year with 1,463 yards. His 18 rushing touchdowns were second in the conference and top five in the nation.
Corum is undersized, standing only 5-foot-8, but is stout at 210 pounds. He uses this thick frame well in the run game and shows good power for his size. He also displays strong leverage and great pad level at the point of contact. He still won’t run over a ton of players, but he has a knack for preventing players getting clean contact on him, and he forces a ton of missed tackles. His best attribute is his quickness. He has great first-step acceleration and lateral movement. He marries this with exceptional contact balance, making him an extremely hard tackle inside the box and in the open field.
Corum also excels at finding the cut-back lanes once in the second level of defenses. And once he hits the edge, it’s game over for most defenders, as he can turn on the burners and house any play. This speed is paired with solid elusiveness and leverage manipulation, which makes defenders look silly regularly.
In the passing game, Corum is average, but he hasn’t been asked to do too much yet in his career. In limited targets, he has shown an ability to transition quickly to a runner after the catch. He has also displayed good hands and has been a decent route-runner when asked to do so. The jury is likely still out on this part of his game, as Michigan doesn’t ask him to do much as a pass-catcher.
- Lateral agility
- Acceleration/burst through the line of scrimmage
- Contact balance
- Limited pass-catching exposure
- Top-end speed
- Power side of the run game
- Unanimous First-Team All-American (2022)
- Doak Walker Award Finalist (2022)
- Chicago Tribune Silver Football winner (2022)
- Ameche-Dayne Big Ten Running Back of the Year (2022), the first in program history
- Two-time All-Big Ten selection (consensus first team in 2022; third team, coaches, honorable mention, media in 2021)
- Two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2021, ’22)
- Named the team’s Bo Schembechler Most Valuable Player, as well as the recipient of the Toughest Player and Blue Collar Awards (2022)
- Shared Offensive Skill Player of the Year honors (2021)
- 40-yard dash: 4.53s
- 10-yard split: 1.58s
- Vertical: 33.5″
- Broad Jump: TBD
- Three-cone: 6.82s
- Shuttle: 4.12s
- Bench: 27
- Blake Corum’s size will really limit his NFL outlook. We hardly see a consistent producer who stands 5-foot-8. He is more stout and is an explosive athlete, so he will be able to find a role, but it seems likely he will be a limited touch offspeed player. At his peak, could mirror Darren Sproles’ career.
- Perimeter/Interior Zone
Blake Corum is one of those players who will be better for an NFL roster than your fantasy roster. He will have a role in the NFL and potentially produce some big spike weeks but will lack any consistent production. This could change if he falls into a more significant role at the NFL level than I expect.
If you play college fantasy, I want to roster Corum on every team. He is an early Heisman favorite for some. He is going to be the main cog in the Michigan offense, and if he stays healthy, he’ll likely lead the Big Ten in rushing.
