Los Angeles Rams pick Michigan football RB Blake Corum in Round 3 of 2024 NFL draft
Blake Corum will begin the next chapter of his football life with the Los Angeles Rams.
The former Michigan football star running back was selected in the third round with the No. 83 pick of the NFL draft.
Corum left as one of the most celebrated players in U-M history, the heart and soul of a program that won the national championship in January and prevailed in 40 of the 43 games it played over his last three seasons with the Wolverines.
A two-time All-American, Corum finished his stint in Ann Arbor as the school record-holder in career touchdowns (61) and total points scored (356).
“Everything you want in a running back, everything you want in a player,” said U-M coach Sherrone Moore, who was the team’s offensive coordinator last season.
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But that didn’t always seem to be the destiny for the former four-star recruit. It took time for Corum to hit his stride, after all. He enrolled at Michigan in January 2020 and then suffered through the worst season of Jim Harbaugh’s tenure — a 2-4 catastrophe in the middle of a pandemic and triggered a reboot of the program. When the Wolverines regained their footing the following fall, Corum quickly emerged as a dynamic wingman to Hassan Haskins. He averaged 6.6 yards per carry in 2021, setting the stage for him to become the featured back as a junior. In a lead role, Corum became the engine of U-M’s ground-and-pound offense that steamrolled its competition.
While propelling the Wolverines to an undefeated regular season, Corum earned consideration for the Heisman Trophy as he piled up 1,463 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns in 12 games. But Corum’s dreams of being recognized as the sport’s top player were dashed when he tore the meniscus in his left knee during a close victory over Illinois in late November 2022. Corum ended up missing Michigan’s final two games — the Wolverines’ second consecutive Big Ten championship victory and a College Football Playoff loss to TCU. His injury also may have also influenced his decision to return to school instead of going pro.
Not long after he announced his plans to stay in Ann Arbor for his senior year, Corum told a crowd at Crisler Center, “We’re gonna win the national championship and go down in history.”
Leading a team chock full of talent and experience, Corum wasn't going to be denied. He picked up steam as the season progressed, helping steer the Wolverines past distractions, scandal and Harbaugh’s multiple three-game suspensions. He then scored the decisive points in the Wolverines’ overtime conquest of Alabama in the CFP semifinal before sealing the 34-13 national championship victory over Washington with a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Corum, the dependable player that he was, had delivered on his promise.
“It was a great journey,” he said on the morning after his college career ended.
Indeed it was.
But now the next adventure is set to begin as Corum surges into the NFL.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: L.A. Rams pick Michigan RB Blake Corum in Round 3 of 2024 NFL draft
