How Blake Corum creates options for Rams offense to deploy 2 RBs simultaneously

Did the LA Rams land another superb rookie prospect who can contribute instantly to this offense? While it's still too early to tell, the hope is that the OTAs and mini camp version of rookie RB Blake Corum is truly the player this team will see in the 2024 NFL season. If that pans out, the Rams offense could be almost impossible to shut down this season.

But how can the coaching staff, or the fans for that matter, applaud his potential without overreaching on expectations that fall into disappointment if he does not deliver on those goals? After all, if he has a solid season, will pie-in-the-sky expectations leave everyone feeling as though he did not deliver to his true potential?

The true litmus test of an elite NFL rookie can become the simplest event. In the case of LA Rams and Head Coach Sean McVay, how good Blake Corum might be starts with how often and well the offense plans to use him. Let me explain:

When the LA Rams selected rookie RB Kyren Williams to this offense in the 2022 NFL Draft, there wa more than buoyant reports out of training camp that suggested that Williams was truly a fine rookie with immense upside potential. So much so that HC Sean McVay was rumored to have installed specific plays for Williams in Game 1. Instead, the young ball carrier suffered a high ankle sprain on special teams, and would not take an offensive snap until Week 10.

While he did not confirm his special place in the offense his rookie season, he certainly overshot the mark in his second season with the team. His 5.0 yards per run is the best average of any featured running back since the team hired McVay to be head coach of this team. And his impressive 1,144 yards and 12 touchdowns are even more jaw-dropping when you factor in the part where he only played in 12 games this past season.

Now, what can we detect about RB Blake Corum to suggest that he has similar NFL upside?

Blake Corum can be a 3-down back if needed

When examining his college achievements, it's tough to see beyond the mastery of former Michigan running back Blake Corum at running the football. This 5-foot-8 210-pound wrecking ball put up some incredible yards on the ground for the Wolverines offense in his last two years of college football. After all, it was Corum's proficiency at running the football that limited the offenses needs to make use of QB J.J. McCarthy's throwing arm.

In his final two years in the NCAA, Corum rushed 505 times for 2,708 yards, and 45 touchdowns. His final two years are better than many drafted running backs grind out in four or five years in college. So it's easy to see why that level of ground gaining production can be so mesmerizing that all other contributions are ignored.

While the Wolverines did not throw his way often, Corum was also a sensational sure-handed receiver. In his college football days, he caught 56 passes thrown his way for 411 yards and three more touchdowns.

The thing is, just because the Wolverines did not task Corum with catching many passes does not mean that he cannot do so. That is where the discerning eye of the scouting department earn their salary. It's up to the scouts, and personnel executives, to glean what a player did in college, and translate into what a player can do in professional football.

Two-fer RBs on the football field at the same time

While the LA Rams certainly planed to deploy rookie RB Kyren Williams in 2022, can the same be said of rookie RB Blake Corum in 2024? I think so, and perhaps the presence of two very capable running backs in this offense opens the door to a realm of new possibilities. Such as?

The Rams offense has been almost exclusively one that features one running back, one tight end, and three wide receivers. But could the winds of change be blowing over SoFi Stadium this season? After all, the Rams have never boast two running backs who are so similar in style with so much upside in the same backfield before. Could the team leverage their similarities to keep defensive coordinators even more stress out this season?

What if, and I'm just spit-balling here, the Rams lined up both running backs on the football field simultaneously? It's not something that I've arrived at alone. In fact, featured RB Kyren Williams is already picturing Sunday Game Day when he will line up in the same backfield as teammate Blake Corum.

And Williams imagines taking advantage of the duplicity by expanding his role in the passing game:

Will the team trial both Blake Corum and Kyren Williams in the same running back on some offensive plays in 2024? It makes sense to give it a shot. Defenses have grown adept at stopping the standard package of offensive plays. Perhaps a new wrinkle would give them something new to think about, a move that could make sense not only for the new options, but renewed vitality to the tried and true plays already in the play book.

However the Rams design their offensive plays this season, one thing is quite clear. The introduction of Blake Corum opens up entirely new chapters to the playbook. Not only does Corum contribute his touchdown-making maneuvers, but both he and Williams could be dangerous options out of the backfield as receivers as well.

As always, thanks for reading.