Turf Show Times
Blake Corum was underutilized as a rookie. He will compete with Jarquez Hunter for playing time in 2025.
The running back room for the Los Angeles Rams has quickly grown crowded.
Starter Kyren Williams showed over the 2024 season that he can be an every-down workhorse, and he effectively crowded out last year’s rookie third-round pick Blake Corum. The Rams may extend Williams’ contract ahead of training camp and keep him in the fold for the foreseeable future.
2025 brings a new threat to Corum’s playing time in fourth-round draftee Jarquez Hunter from Auburn. Hunter is a departure from the mold that Williams and Corum bring to the table. The Rams are hoping that Hunter can introduce an element of explosiveness into the running game and turn well-blocked plays into long gains and touchdowns.
We can expect to see a lot of Williams this season. The real question is “how often will Corum or Hunter be on the field?”.
There were only three games over the 2024 season where Corum received eight carries, which is an inherent problem in and of itself.
Metrics are from Pro Football Focus (PFF).
8 rushes for 28 yards (3.5 avg); 18 yards after contact; 1 forced miss
8 carries for 42 yards (5.3 avg); 22 YCO; 1 forced miss
8 carries for 34 yards (4.3 avg); 23 YCO; 3 forced misses
3.6 yards; 2.40 after contact; 0.190 forced misses; 0.69 10+ yards
4.2 yards; 2.75 after contact; 0.174 forced misses; 0.88 10+ yards
While on the surface it seems Williams is clearly more effective than Corum at 4.2 yards per attempt versus 3.6, the margins are closer than meets the eye when considering yards after contact, forced missed tackles, and carries over 10+ yards on an average basis. Corum seemingly was often able to find more ground than was blocked by the offensive line. His main problem was a lack of opportunities.
The same goes for Corum’s usage in the passing game. He was productive in small sample sizes as a receiver.
Corum caught seven of his eight targets for 58 yards (8.3 avg), though he finished with 63 yards after the catch point (9.0 per reception). In comparison, Williams caught 38 passes for 197 yards (5.2 avg) and three scores though he averaged just 5.9 yards after the catch.
There’s really no use comparing college production to the NFL. Still, it’s eye-popping to review the same metrics for Hunter from his time at Auburn:
6.5 yards; 4.10 after contact; 0.317 forced misses; 0.23 10+ yards
21 catches for 155 yards (7.4 avg); 8.5 avg yards after catch
Even more impressive is Hunter’s production on breakaway plays,...
