Blake Corum NFL draft: What Sean McVay said of new Los Angeles Rams running back out of Michigan

Michigan's Blake Corum is teaming with up with one of the brightest minds in football in Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay after being selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Friday.

McVay, who led the Rams to the 2021 Super Bowl, offered high praise for Corum, who was selected with the No. 83 overall pick of the third round on Friday night. McVay also said Corum is strikingly similar to Los Angeles' current running back Kyren Williams, who ran for 1,144 yards with 12 touchdowns in 12 games last season.

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"For me, one of the things that jumped off is there's a lot of traits that reminded me of Kyren Williams," McVay told reporters after Corum was drafted at No. 83 overall. "... Obviously, Kyren will put Blake under his arm and be a great mentor and kind of a leader. But, (running backs coach) Ron Gould was really excited about him, (offensive coordinator) Mike LaFleur, I obviously love his game.

"He's got a bunch of tape to be able to evaluate, he's been a part of an incredibly successful program, he's been the bell cow for them in the midst of their successful runs they've had their last few years. And so, we're really looking forward to getting to work with him."

How can Corum see the field as a rookie?

"I think they've got to earn trust," McVay said. "Consistent production, based on the different situations that come up, through all three downs and fourth down. You want to see guys that are productive runners that understand where they're supposed to set blocks at the point of attack and what's the intent of the play. You (want to) see guys that compete without the ball, and he does a great job of competing without the ball in protection.

"I think there's some different things he can do to bring an added element in the passing game, and so, I think it's really just the trust and consistency of what (Gould) is asking snap in and snap out. You've seen a lot of those things that have been on tape for him, and there's a lot of things that you can evaluate that are easier. You see so often these running backs are accepting runs off the offset gun. They're a big under center outfit, taking runs from the pistol, and he does a great job.

"You can see he's at his best when his shoulders are square to the line of scrimmage. (Michigan) does a good job with different run schemes that are easy to evaluate, and you just see the competitive toughness and then as games wear on, it seems like that's when he gets better and better. I just remember even talking to a bunch of our coaches when the College Football Playoff was started and watching him and the impact he had on the Alabama game. That's a tough defense, back and forth, and then in crunch time, in the overtime period, he makes a great run where he's inside and moves it back out and is able to finish it that ultimately ended up being the game-winning play.

"He's had stuff like that show up throughout the course of his career."

Corum was the third running back selected in the draft, behind only Texas' Jonathan Brooks and Florida State's Trey Benson, who went 46th overall and 66th overall to the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals, respectively.

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What Sean McVay said about Michigan running back Blake Corum

Here's the full clip of Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay sharing his thoughts on new running back Blake Corum:

Blake Corum stats

• Career: 675 rushes for 3,737 yards with 58 touchdowns; 56 receptions for 411 yards with three touchdowns

• 2023: 258 rushes for 1,245 yards with 27 touchdowns; 16 receptions for 117 yards with a touchdown

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Blake Corum NFL draft: What Sean McVay said of new Los Angeles Rams RB