Rams Film Review: Finding Blake Corum's Role in Offense

"It benefits everyone to make sure that you're not just wearing someone down or overusing somebody. The plan is to split those up a little bit and distribute, whether it's the run or the pass game, and making sure people are involved within the scheme," LaFleur said on Williams. "He’s a team guy. He'll do whatever's asked. When his number's called, we all know Kyren is going to show up on Sundays.”

This could make room for second-year player Corum to emerge as a change-of-pace runner in the offense. LaFleur had this to say about his progression this summer:

"I think he’s doing what you'd hope a second-year guy would do, steps in the right direction, understanding just the speed of this game and what it's going to take to play running back," LaFleur said. "He’s made of all the right stuff.

"He's done everything we've asked of him, not that we even have to ask too much of him because he’s wired the right way. I thought he had a good preseason. Obviously, we left him out of that third game right there. He's had a really good training camp. He’ll get his opportunities come week one.”

With that said, let's take a look at Corum's film to see what he brings and how he can contribute to the Rams' offense this season.

Vision, patience, and footwork paving the way for Corum

I think we should begin with the play below. It's midway through the first quarter with a 2nd & medium from the Rams' 40-yard line. The play is a crack toss to the play side, and you usually want to have these plays from the field area to maximize yardage.

Corum showcases good vision and patience while navigating into green grass and accelerates for positive yardage. He utilizes his low center of gravity and the pairing of his eyes and feet to navigate traffic. Corum also understands how to create yardage with creativity and footwork.

In the games I evaluated of Corum (every snap from his first two preseason games), he lacked the size and above-average play strength necessary to be a reliable pass protector on passing downs. He has been effective on chip blocks, working out of the backfield and into the flats, but should not be considered a change-of-pace player in pass-blocking situations.

This next play is another example of Corum's great combination. The Rams are in plus territory with a 2nd & 10 inside the Los Angeles Chargers' 40-yard line. The call is a split zone action with the tight end running a quick motion across the formation and then back to the free rusher.

At the mesh point, Corum sees No. 6 Denzel Perryman as the G-gap run fitter. Recognizing this, he presses the line of scrimmage, navigating the front for creases, and allowing his blocks to develop. This is a great example of how Corum can use his vision, patience, and, again, his footwork to swallow the second level defenders into the pile and compromise their angles to the ball carrier. He doesn’t have ample burst out of his cuts, but they are good enough to keep defenses off balance.

In plenty of ways, Corum is a similar runner to Williams, though the latter is smaller. He uses that size, a low center of gravity, and quickness to win as a running back. While his pass-catching opportunities were limited, his college tape at Michigan suggests he can be a slip screen runner or check down option on multiple progression concepts.