Corum or Hunter?

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?”.

The Rams underutilized Corum last year

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).

Week 2 at Arizona Cardinals:

8 rushes for 28 yards (3.5 avg); 18 yards after contact; 1 forced miss

Week 13 at New Orleans Saints:

8 carries for 42 yards (5.3 avg); 22 YCO; 1 forced miss

Week 14 vs Buffalo Bills:

8 carries for 34 yards (4.3 avg); 23 YCO; 3 forced misses

Season per carry averages – Corum:

3.6 yards; 2.40 after contact; 0.190 forced misses; 0.69 10+ yards

Season per carry averages – Williams:

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.

Hunter is a serious threat to Corum and Williams

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:

Season per carry averages – Hunter:

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, which PFF describes as designed running plays that eclipse 15 yards. Hunter amassed 576 yards on 15 breakaways runs during his final year at Auburn. Over four seasons he accumulated 1,591 breakaway yards.

Williams managed just 194 yards on nine breakaway runs last year for the Rams.

It’s clear that Hunter brings a dynamism to Los Angeles that will shake up the running back room. How quickly the rookie establishes a role remains to be seen.

It’s on Sean McVay to make the most of a strong RB stable

McVay must find a way to reduce Williams’ workload. The Rams offense hasn’t been the same without its workhorse in the lineup, and we watched Williams sit out of the playoff game versus the Detroit Lions a couple years ago. It’s important to keep the starter healthy and capable of doing damage over a long playoff run.

Corum is capable as a backup to Williams and deserves opportunities to stand on his own. Hunter will see snaps simply because he is different than both existing backs and could carve out a complimentary role.

Corum or Hunter?

You decide.