NFL Draft: Sorry Jim Harbaugh, Michigan RB Blake Corum goes to cross-town Rams
Blake Corum to the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL Draft, where the Michigan running back would be reunited with his college coach Jim Harbaugh, seemed like a foregone conclusion.
Corum is going to Los Angeles, just not to the Chargers.
The Rams made a bit of a surprising pick in the third round, selecting Corum with the 83rd overall pick.
The Rams have running back Kyren Williams, who is 23 years old and coming off a big season with 1,144 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. But the Rams couldn’t pass on a solid football player that does everything well, even if he doesn’t have any physical traits that pop off the page.
Corum’s all-around game is a reason he was linked to Harbaugh. Corum helped Michigan win a national championship last season. The Chargers have a need at running back. Harbaugh did take a player from that championship team in the third round, but it was Michigan linebacker Junior Colson. If Harbaugh wanted Corum, which had been speculated often before the draft, perhaps he thought he could wait. The Rams weren’t going to let that happen.
Corum seems like a good fit for Sean McVay. He was a tremendous college player and had more than 2,700 rushing yards the last two seasons combined. Last season Corum had 24 rushing touchdowns. The knocks on Corum are that he’s 5-foot-8 and 205 pounds, and has average speed with a 4.51-second 40-yard dash.
But Corum has shown he is a tough, productive, smart football player. The Rams invested a valuable draft pick in a player who aligns with their values, even if it wasn’t at a position that was a major need.