4 Rams offensive upgrades that will push team into Top-3 tier in 2024

I: Adding rookie RB Blake Corum to help Kyren Williams in 2024

I admit that adding a top-tier running back in the 2024 NFL Draft was not on my bingo card. While I understood and even advocated for the team to bolster the depth and versatility of the running back room, I expected the team to dabble in selecting a runner late on Day 3 of the draft. But the team threw me a curve ball and selected Michigan running back Blake Corum with the 99th overall pick in Round 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft.

The more I learn about RB Blake Corum, the more of a bargain he has become.

If you were hoping for a big-bodied bruiser of a running back, you will likely not be particularly impressed with Corum's size at 5-foot-8 and 205 pounds. But if you are willing to give this young man an open mind, you will find lots to love about him. For starters, he is a compact powerhouse.

And then there is the matter of his superhero speed and agility. Let's revisit that agility drill once more:

Keep in mind that the LA Rams selected him at the end of Round 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft with the 99th overall pick. Corum was projected to be a Round 2 or 3 selection, so the front office did manage to squeeze a bit of bargain shopping over him. But the best is yet to come.

The Rams love the running of feature RB Kyren Williams. Williams rushed 228 times for 1,144 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023. But he also missed five games. What would be the result of Williams rushing 180 times in a season, and Corum carrying the football at a similar pace? Well, the Rams rushed 477 times in 2023, The rotation of running backs carried the football 414 times in 2023, for 1,752 yards and 17 touchdowns.

If Williams and Corum each put up 180 or so carries, you can expect both to gain 900+ yards, and 9+ touchdowns. That would be better than the entire RB corps form 2023, and there would still be the odd carries of WRs and QBs in the offense as well. Best of all, the tread on Kyren Williams would still be strong at the end of the season too.

I don't see Corum as a threat to replace Williams as much as a way for the team to platoon the one-two punch of Williams and Corum in various down and distance scenarios that resonate to their individual strengths.