Blake Corum, the former Michigan running back, once again showcased his exceptional strength at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis over the weekend, leading all running backs with an impressive 27 bench press reps of 225 pounds.
For those familiar with Corum's prolific Michigan career, where he rushed for an impressive 58 touchdowns, his display of strength comes as no surprise. In fact, a video of Corum benching the same weight 30 times in March 2023 had already circulated, underscoring his remarkable power well before the Combine.
The noteworthy aspect of Corum's performance lies in the athletes he outperformed, particularly former Notre Dame offensive lineman Joe Alt. Despite Alt's considerable size advantage at 6-8 and 321 pounds, both athletes lifted the bar 27 times, showcasing Corum's exceptional strength relative to his size.
Officially measuring at 5-7 and 3/4 and 205 pounds at the Combine, Corum also demonstrated his speed with a 4.53-second 40-yard dash.
During the off-field testing, Corum continued to excel, ranking among the top running backs with the second-quickest 3-cone drill (6.82 seconds) and the third-quickest 20-yard shuttle (4.12 seconds). His impressive performance earned him a prospect grade of 6.15 (out of 8) on NFL.com's Next Gen Stats, indicating his potential to develop into a starter at the professional level.
Despite already surpassing expectations, Corum approached the Combine with determination to solidify his value as a prospective NFL player. During pass-catching drills, he exhibited explosiveness and the balance characteristic of his time at Michigan. While he appeared smooth running with the ball, Corum's true value in this area is expected to shine even brighter when in-game scenarios allow his vision and agility to take center stage.
