Blake Corum Scouting Report and NFL Draft Profile

 

2023 NFL Draft Measurements

Blake Corum 40-Yard Dash Time – 4.40 (estimate)

5’8” / 210 lbs.

 

Blake Corum Draft Profile

Blake Corum is a former 4-star recruit out of St. Frances Academy in Laurel, Maryland. St. Frances Academy is one of the best high school football programs in the nation on a yearly basis. During Corum’s senior season at St. Frances, they went 11-1 only losing to another national powerhouse in Mater Dei. Having this record led them to be the 3rd best team in the nation according to MaxPreps. During his time at St. Frances, Corum gained recognition from loads of Division I programs. According to 247sports, he was the 9th best player in the state of Maryland. Many of the players that were around his rank also went to St. Frances Academy. One player that he was ranked behind was Jordan Addison who is a former Biletnikoff Award winner. 

While achieving this status, Corum received a scholarship from 28 Division I programs. After receiving these offers, Corum visited two schools. These schools are Ohio State and Michigan. The coach that recruited Corum was Jay Harbaugh which is Jim Harbaugh’s son and special teams assistant at the time. Shortly after having his official visit, Corum commits to Michigan and becomes a Wolverine. 

 

Strengths

 

Athleticism

Blake Corum displays incredible athleticism every time he steps on the field. When he is handed the ball in the backfield, he shows an incredible burst of speed. This allows him to accelerate to top speed quickly when he finds a hole in the line. He is also very light on his feet which helps him navigate through the line and avoid getting hit. If he is hit at the line of scrimmage, he has incredible balance to keep his footing and generate yards after contact. When he gets in open field, he is very good at making defenders miss. As I mentioned earlier, he is light on his feet when navigating through the line. But he is also light on his feet in open field displaying the ability to quickly change direction.

 

Play Speed

When Corum gets the ball in his hands, everything he does seems to be very natural and quick. But when he is in the backfield, he also shows good patience to let the linemen execute their blocks. This is due to his play speed allowing him to find the best lane and burst through the hole for a gain. Then, when Corum gets to the 2nd level, he quickly scans the field allowing him to quickly adjust his gameplan. After he develops a game plan, he lets his instincts and athleticism take over. 

 

Toughness

Although Corum is a smaller back compared to a majority of other NFL Draft prospects, he displays incredible toughness. When Corum is handed the ball, he is very aggressive when there is a defender in front of him. Although he will often try to elude the defender, he is not scared to drop his shoulder and level a defender. After the hit, he is often able to stay balanced and generate a few yards after contact. 

 

Passing Game

During his time at Michigan, Corum has shown that he is effective in the passing game. His athleticism and play speed allow him to quickly run short routes to the outside. His mental processing is shown against zone coverage because he is good at finding a hole in the coverage and sitting in that hole. This allows him to consistently act as a safety valve for the quarterback. When the ball is thrown his way, he catches the ball with his hands instead of letting the ball hit his chest. After making the catch, he does a good job of quickly squaring his hips to the defense. This allows him to use his quickness and elusiveness to rack up yards after the catch. 

 

Weaknesses

 

Injury History

The biggest concern that I have about Corum going forward is his injury history. Corum’s season was cut short due to an injury that he got against Ohio St. To go into more detail, Corum injured his meniscus in his knee soon leading to him having surgery. This surgery would cause his season to come to an early end. I am worried about this going forward because he could re-injure that knee several times in the future. Having this question mark surrounding an injury can often lead to a player being forced to retire early. 

 

Size

As I have briefly mentioned earlier, Corum is small compared to most backs in the 2023 NFL Draft. Although his aggressiveness and toughness make him play bigger than his size, his size hinders other areas of his game. The biggest area of concern is his blocking and ability to hold his ground against defenders. Corum’s adequate height and arm length lead to him losing at the initial point of attack. After losing this early in the block, the defender is often able to shed his block and get to the QB. His lack of size also hinders his ability to make catches outside of his frame. As a safety valve, you need to be able to make catches that are slightly inaccurate. This is because you are often the last resort when the QB is under pressure. 

 

Blake Corum Draft Stock

Corum is a very talented back and has the potential to be special in the NFL. His natural ability with the ball in his hands makes me think that he can go in the late 2nd round. But his lack of size and injury history leads me to think that he will go in the 3rd round. 

 

Final Thoughts on Blake Corum Scouting Report

Blake Corum is one of the most naturally gifted athletes in this draft class. He plays with a high motor that makes him unstoppable with the ball in his hands. He is also an incredible athlete that can make a play out of nothing. This is due to his quickness and elusiveness in open space. Corum is also a very smart and instinctual player who can quickly scan the field and generate a game plan. Although he does have some questions surrounding his size, Corum shows that he does possess the toughness needed to make it in the NFL. Finally, if Corum is able to stay healthy for the majority of his career, he will make the franchise that drafts him very happy. 

 

Player Comparison

His ability to play bigger than he is reminds me of Austin Ekeler. But his athleticism and mental processing remind me of Kenneth Walker III. 

 

Blake Corum Scouting Report Analyst – Matthew Lewis