Few teams have dealt with the level of bad luck at a single position than the Baltimore Ravens have with running backs over the last two seasons. Reciting the list of injuries just seems cruel at this point, and it makes the team’s pursuit of Derrick Henry – one of the league’s most durable backs – seem perfectly justified.
Henry will lead the 2024 backfield with Justice Hill resuming his change-of-pace/third down role after a quietly excellent 2023 season. The team is hoping Keaton Mitchell can recover from his late-season ACL tear and contribute in 2024, but that’s hardly a guarantee. The Ravens need another back to round out the backfield this year and build for the future of the position.
Eric DeCosta has prioritized speed and explosiveness and demonstrated a willingness to take smaller players when drafting running backs. Here are his drafted RBs’ testing averages and ranks among current GMs:
DeCosta openly acknowledged before the Combine that the 2024 RB draft class is “probably not as deep as some other positions,” which is fairly damning as far as exec-speak goes. No one should be surprised that he was right, especially pertaining to his established preferences. There are far more backs over 215 pounds than there are under 205, and only three RBs recorded a 4.42 or better 40 time. None broke 1.50 seconds in their 10-yard splits, either. Five reached 38 inches or higher on their vertical, and only two cleared 127 inches in their broad jump.
Put that together with the Ravens’ other needs, the splash signing of a workhouse RB, and the devaluation of the position in recent years, and it feels like RB won’t be prioritized until Day 3.
That fits well with a draft class without a clear RB1, and consensus big boards don’t have even a single one in the top 50. But even in the age of the devalued RB, it’s hard to imagine all 32 teams waiting until the third round to draft one, especially after the Combine. Coaches and execs can fall in love with athleticism and fit – what a RB could be on their team, in their system.
The Combine plays a big role in that, letting the elite athletes at the position distinguish themselves and raise their stock (and signing bonus).
No running back did that more than Louisville’s Isaac Guerendo, who led RBs with a 4.33 40-yard dash, the third-fastest of the entire draft class. His 41.5-inch vertical also led his position, with a 10’9” broad jump that finished second.
Guerendo did all of that at 221 pounds, and put up the fourth-fastest times in both agility drills to boot. Coming into the Combine, he was not seen as a top-100 pick, but he should hear his name called on Day 2 after his performance. His size-speed combo is rare, making him versatile across multiple schemes and roles, as well as a possible contributor in his passing game. Guerendo might have done the most of any player to boost his draft stock in Indianapolis, and he could have made himself millions of dollars in the process.
Trey Benson and Jaylen Wright turned heads with the only other two sub-4.4-second 40 times recorded by running backs. Benson’s 1.52-second 10-yard split tied for fourth-fastest among RBs, while Wright led the board jump by three inches and tied for fourth in the vertical jump. Neither tested in agility, and while both improved their stock to secure Day 2 status, they do not offer such an enticing skillset that the Ravens should spend a premium pick on them.
Scouts generally use Combine testing results to confirm what they’ve seen on tape, and no player’s Combine better told the story of his skillset than Corum. He doesn’t have elite explosiveness, with a middling 4.53-second 40 and 35.5-inch vertical and the second-slowest 10-yard split. However, 6.82-second 3-cone and 4.12-second shuttle both ranked in the top three among running backs, and he led his position with 27 bench press reps.
That’s exactly who Corum is – an agile, precise back with attention to detail and excellent balance to maneuver in tight spaces. His size limits his long speed, and his drop in efficiency in 2023 after a 2022 meniscus tear could be cause for concern. His 5-foot-8, 205-pound frame won’t scare away the Ravens, especially with his intangibles and Michigan connection, but he’d need to fall for his selection to be a value play for Baltimore.
