4.53 is a perfectly fine time for Corum.
At that speed he then shape shifts 3 yards sideways at the same speed and runs by Jack Campbell untouched for a TD. That translates.
He's also faster when being hit by Buckeyes
A perfectly Corumulent time?
I’ll see myself out.
All the LB's with torn groins be like: "yea but he could'a gotten to the end zone faster."
4.5 seems expected for Corum. He seemed to lose a little speed with the injury
Not just injury. He bulked up when Haskins left, and that took some of his top end. Watch his run against Washington in 2021 and compare it to his speed now; he was a burner.
But to be the man he had to be more than fast, and he became the guy who did everything. He still had the lateral agility in 2022 and a touch more top end; this year that stuff was a touch scarcer, though I actually think he was improving late—we just had a hard time noticing because the defenses we played were so good. Yet that run against Bama was everything he has always been.
Ding ding ding ding. Spot on answer. His “slowing down” was due to bulking up, although the trade offs he got in return were more than worth it.
Although to your point, I go back and watch that run against Washington every now and again, and I’m still blown away by how freaking FAST he was on that run.
I remember looking at that and thinking we haven’t had anyone since Denard who had that kind of top-end speed. The kind of guys with athleticism that OSU seems to collect on a regular basis. I just remember thinking “this is the kind of athlete we need to beat OSU.”
His start was terrible. If he could clean that up, he'd be in the 4.4s easy.
I actually think that’s good for Corum. He can probably still lean up by about 10 lbs and drop under 4.5. He’s moldable to what a team needs, and that’s good.
Corum is who is he is at this point. His physical attributes are unlikely to change going into the NFL draft unless he wants them to. He's a pinball-ninja and losing any amount of weight isn't going to change his running style and have little effect on his 40 time.
He was never listed a speedy, "burner" type of RB. But if you want the chains to move and enjoy seeing linebackers juked out of their cleats in the 2nd level, he's your guy. If he can land with a team that commits to running the ball and he stays healthy, I think we'll see a very successful career for Blake the Great!
If he can show some route running/pass catching skills he might push his way into the second rd.
kinda reminds me of a David Montgomery type.
Good comp. I think I remember someone saying about Montgomery that a RB that has above average attributes in all facets should be considered a really valuable piece.
As a recruit he was listed as a speedy burner type. But bulking up and maybe the injury sapped that speed some. I'd say he made the right choice given how things turned out.
Yeah I was mostly referring to his profile entering this year's NFL draft, not necessarily coming out of HS. His recruiting profile had him timed at a 4.44 40 and his physical stature obviously changed from his freshman year through 2023.
NFL RB's rarely make house call touchdowns from the line of scrimmage anyway so I think the speed he does have should translate nicely. Add in fact that his vision and low-to-the-ground running style often gets him to the 2nd level, he'd be nice get for any team with a deficiency at RB.
He was most definitely a burner his freshman year. He could take long runs to the house. But then he became addicted to Jim and added like 30lbs of straight muscle. Michigan staff joked about limiting his Jim time because he was getting so big.
See my clarification above. I love Blake Corum and he's my favorite RB to ever play for Michigan but he has plenty more examples of getting chased down from behind in the open field vs making house calls. Again, this isn't a knock on him but speaking more matter of factly. This likely has to do with him being a zone runner and having to escape 3 or 4 tackles before getting to the 2nd level. He's not one-cut speedster like Donovan Edwards but it has served him, and UM, well. Evidence is out there, folks.
Also as a caveat: Watching his 67-yard TD vs Wash, the DB took one of the worst angles I've ever seen and the secondary seemed to slow up around their own 25 but yes, his early speed was undeniable. This seems like a moot point to argue about as well all love Corum and he'll be a great catch for any team.
--"But then he became addicted to Jim and added like 30lbs of straight muscle. Michigan staff joked about limiting his Jim time because he was getting so big."---
Thankfully his addiction to Jim was good for the team. Now if he was just addicted to gym, ...
No question he lost some speed over the past 2 years. This result feels accurate.
Browns need a RB. If he’s there in the 4th round I hope they take him.
4.53 ain’t great guys. Especially when he measured at 5’7” which is about an inch and a half shorter than expected.
Out of curiosity why do you think height hurts him? Being a shorter runningback as long as you can carry the weight is generally a good thing. Can be harder to see behind those big offensive linemen and makes it easier to put second tier defenders in the wrong gap.
Smaller target for pass receptions and perceived weaknesses in taking on pass rushers in blocking.
His shuttle time and bench are very important to his RAS score IMO. And as much as we all love Blake, at 23 he’s old for a RB (which is why the Browns won’t take him unfortunately.) One of their drafting guardrails is not take anyone over the age of 21.
Shorter backs have thrived catching the balls for years in the NFL and low man wins blocks. I think you are way off base here.
Shorter may be correlated with lower weight, but given the weight, being shorter should help him be a better pass blocker.
The pass blocking varies more on desire and willingness than size; Devin Singletary, for example, has consistently graded out as a good pass blocker despite being 5' 7". Now, Corum's overall size is likely to limit his time on the field and thus his pass blocking opportunities, but when asked he's been good at it while at UM and I suspect NFL teams will see that.
The age thing will hurt him, but again that's only if you're thinking of investing a high draft pick on him. But because of COVID shirts and everything else, this class has a lot more older players than usual and I suspect NFL teams will take that into account but also just accept that's part of the deal. Like, both Bo Nix and Michael Penix are 23+, and with RBs you've got guys like Ray Davis from Kentucky and MarShawn Lloyd from USC who are considered top-8 backs who are 23+ as well. I wouldn't invest a high draft choice on them but if you view them as 3-4 year plug-and-play rotational guys in your backfield that's not a bad idea.
Pass blocking is about ID-ing the free rusher and getting there in time. It’s the opposite of juking in a phone booth; you’re trying to barrel into someone’s gut in a phone booth without interrupting the QB’s call to mom. Height is all but irrelevant; an RB can be effin’ Tacopants and not do those things.
/ do people still know what phone booths are?
The bench is the one spot I'm not worried about him testing well in.
I would not be shocked if he sniffed or beat the combine RB record of 34
I don't think age matters much on RB prospects these days. Generally people are drafting RB's to play out their rookie contract before moving on to another rookie or cheap option. I think workload and carries would probably be considered more over age as well.
Maurice Jones Drew with a little less foot speed but maybe better jump cuts. You don't see them until they are by you and 20 yard runs lead to TD's as well.
think of corum like we used to think of pat verbeek who played for the red wings ~15 yrs ago: little ball of hate. corum isn't chippy like verbeek was, but the bigger point is that small packages can still contain bigger payloads.
4.53 is just inside the 'good' range. 5' 7" makes me think of joe and jamie morris, both of whom had pro careers and jamie a michigan alum.
4th round sounds about right.
As a Giants fan, I loved Joe Morris as a kid!
Being .04 seconds away from a sub-4.5 is a good time for Corum. He could also drop 5 lbs between now and Michigan's pro day and sneak in sub-4.5...
Blake Corum is a RB prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored an unofficial 5.80 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 734 out of 1745 RB from 1987 to 2024.
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 2, 2024
Splits projectedhttps://t.co/QTzoU8nyku pic.twitter.com/vg3g9nEW5w
He has a RAS score of 5.80 right now (5.00 being the average of all draft-eligible RBs in modern history) and he was always going to be behind the proverbial 8-ball due to his height/weight measurements... if you remove those measurements from the equation and account for just his run splits and vertical jump, his score jumps up to 6.89 which means he's a better athlete that 2 out of every 3 RB prospects.
I understand your point. OTOH, shouldn't he be credited for having a 6.89 in spite having those height/weight measurements?
I agree about the speed not being great but it also is likely due to his overall size and how his body was rebuilt for the offensive load he was going to carry at UM. He's basically the same weight and speed as Zach Charbonnet (though obviously shorter), and I do wonder if he lost 10-12 pounds would some of his speed return - he was plenty fast coming out of HS and I suspect that's still in there to some extent.
Corum is never going to be a feature back in the NFL but he's tough in short yardage and a good blocker; that can work for the right offense. But anyone expecting him to go high in the draft based on measurables were likely to be disappointed.
Blake is 5-8 205. Zach is 6-1 215 Corbin will be a starter, not sure what your definition of feature back is and how many you think there are in the NFL now.
Not that it matters He was a hair under 5-8. 4.53 might not be great but it’s not bad it’s probably above average. For the position. Bucky Ervin ran a 4.6 at the same height and 13 pounds lighter. I don’t get the negative crap on our players it’s like people want to believe we were not an athletic team. Corbin doesn’t make it out of the 3 rd round and is most likely solidly in the 2nd round. There’s not way Jim doesn’t take him if he’s there.
There’s about a 70% chance Corum makes it out of the 3rd round. He’s more likely a 4th rounder.
Shorter than expected? you’re joking right? No one really believed he was 5’8”
Corum is plenty fast because of his lateral quickness in small spaces combined with the power and vision he brings.
I think he's as high as the fourth round. The injury is going to be on people's minds. But, he's over 200 pounds. I don't think he should lose weight. He can still take on defenders - a third-down back who can handle a blitz or sneak out of the backfield for a screen.
He's elusive, and that matters as much as straight-line speed for what he'll be doing. Most importantly, he's a gamer. NFL coaches love players like him. He'll find a way to contribute.
Love Blake! Hoping the Browns draft him!
What's Roman's 40?
He said he's shooting for sub 4.3 but expects low 4.3 min.
4.39 officially
Roman plays faster than his 40. His first two steps both times were really bad. He could definitely run a much better time if he focused on his take-off but it’s still an elite time.
Corum's going to need that bulk in the NFL also. He will be a fine choice for someone. A safe choice because of the high character attributes.
"JJ 's heavier and taller than expected."
I'm also heavier but shorter than expected.
Cornelius Johnson just ran a 4.45
I think that’s a pretty damn good time for him.
Extremely good.
4.45 for CJ. Pretty good I’d say. Looks like Wilson is in the other WR group so it’ll be a little bit before he runs