Running back Kyren Williams had a big year for the Rams in 2023, so some might have been surprised to see the team use a third-round pick on former Michigan back Blake Corum.
The rationale makes sense when you realize that Williams’s value to the offense was highlighted when he injured his ankle during the regular season. Williams missed four games with the injury and the Rams went 1-3 without him in the lineup. They were 8-4 with him — Williams sat Week 17 to rest for the postseason — and General Manager Les Snead explained that the Corum selection was made with an eye on making sure Williams remains on hand as much as possible.
“A lot of people have said he’s similar,” Snead said in an interview with the team’s website. “They have a very similar play style. They both really, really care about the football. That’s very important on that side of the ball. We’re a relatively advanced veteran offense so you definitely are going to need to bring a care factor to be able to get up to speed and be able to function and fit right in and keep the thing humming. It’s a tough league, it’s a 17-game season plus playoffs. Might go to 18 games one day, so we always felt like we needed to have as many quality runners as possible so we don’t just totally run down Kyren and we have one or two, or even three guys that can contribute, keep everyone fresh and let’s go and try to impose our will.”
If Corum can get up to speed quickly, the Rams will have a pair of similar options out of the backfield and that should allow them to keep the offense rolling even if Williams has to miss time again this season.
