Here are 3 Rams rookies from 2024 who need larger roles in 2025

RB Blake Corum

I was not enamored with the LA Rams selecting Michigan workhorse running back Blake Corum with the 83rd overall pick in Round 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft for the very reason that we witnessed all season. Selecting a rusher that soon indicates an offensive skill player who is projected to start or to share the workload, and will be a significant contributor for the team.

Corum arrived to the Rams roster with two undeniable attributes that screamed plug-and-play into an NFL offense. The first characteristic is that he can be that guy to carry the load. He scored 45 touchdowns in his final two seasons with the Michigan Wolverines, an incredible feat as most collegiate defenses knew that he would be carrying the football.

For a team like the Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, or even the San Francisco 49ers, Corum made perfect sense. Those NFL offenses love to soften up defenses with a stalwart running game, will mix in various running backs to keep the ground attack fresh, and build off that grind it out offense in a form that frustrates high-powered opposing offenses who cannot get on the football field.

The Rams offense is simply not built that way.

Corum got 119 offensive snaps in 2024. He carried the football 58 times for 207 yards and no touchdowns all season. That is simply a shockingly pedestrian performance from a Day 2 running back. When he had the chance to put his full potential on display in Week 18, he fractured his arm and left the game with two carries for 10 yards and one reception for 12 yards.

Corum does not have breakaway speed, as his longest run was 12 yards. He is, however, a gifted offensive weapon who can run and catch the football. I'm not suggesting that the team recrafts the offense to better suit Corum in 2025, but the team invested huge draft capital into him. I'd hate to see his NFL career go no better than that of wide receiver Tutu Atwell.

Corum may have to share the load with RB Kyren Williams in 2025, but it must be a more equitable distribution. Williams demonstrated a tendency to fumble the football in 2024, perhaps that can be fixed if the team gives Blake Corum a heavier workload, which would in turn allow Kyren Williams to stay rested and stronger throughout the season.