Michigan's Blake Corum listed as top 10 running back prospect for 2023 NFL Draft
Michigan Wolverines football had a drought from 2008-20 in which none of its running backs were picked in the NFL Draft. Now, though, the Maize and Blue have had two players at the position drafted in each of the last two events — Chris Evans in 2021 and Hassan Haskins in 2022 — and that streak could grow to three next spring.
Michigan sophomore Blake Corum was listed by Pro Football Focus (PFF) analyst Michael Renner as the seventh-best running back prospect in the country.
“Corum may be listed at only 200 pounds, but that’s nowhere near as worrisome as it is for most 200-pounders,” Renner wrote. “That’s because Corum has the Maurice Jones-Drew body type going on at only 5-foot-8. Built as low to the earth as Corum is, it should be no surprise that he’s one of the shiftiest backs in this class.
“Corum qualifies as a ‘quicker than fast’ kind of running back who can operate in tight quarters yet be chased down in the open field. He’s not slow, but he’s just not the blazer of some other backs on this list. It will be interesting to see what kind of workload he gets this past fall after splitting time with fourth-round pick Hassan Haskins a year ago.”
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In order, the six running backs ahead of the Michigan standout are: Texas‘ Bijan Robinson, Texas A&M‘s Devon Achane, Ole Miss‘ Zach Evans, Auburn‘s Tank Bigsby, Syracuse‘s Sean Tucker and Kansas State‘s Deuce Vaughn.
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In 2021, Corum racked up 952 rushing yards and 11 scores despite missing two Michigan contests with a high-ankle sprain, and flashed his big-play ability at less than 100 percent healthy by ripping off a 55-yard run against Ohio State and a 67-yard touchdown dash in the Big Ten title game versus Iowa. He had three consecutive 100-plus yard rushing games to begin last season, combining for 407 yards against Western Michigan, Washington and Northern Illinois.
Corum is at his best in space, and is known for making big plays. Twenty two of his 143 rushing attempts went for 10 or more yards last season, and a whopping 47 percent of his yards came on runs of 15-plus yards, per PFF, showing that Corum doesn’t just get past the first and second levels of the defense — he can run by anybody.
He can also be used as a pass-catcher, with 24 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown last season.
