The Los Angeles Rams may simultaneously have one of the more efficient running back duos in the NFL and also the most frustrating. Kyren Williams ranks fourth in the NFL in success rate at 53.7 percent
while Blake Corum has an explosive run rate of 8.3 percent which is the fifth-highest in the NFL.
This has been exactly what the Rams needed out of the running back position this season. Williams remains the singles hitter who can keep the offense on track. Meanwhile, Corum has the ability to hit a double and create the explosive plays.
It’s not a coincidence that the Rams’ three best rushing games have come when Williams and Corum have combined for 20 or more attempts. In those games, Williams and Corum have averaged 4.9 yards per carry, 0.79 RYOE/att., and had a 51.4 percent success rate. Williams has two games this season with 4.5 yards per carry and a success rate over 50 percent. In both of those games, Corum has had more than five carries. Williams’ worst game this season came in Week 1 when Corum only got one carry.
Williams and Corum complement each other so well as a duo. In Week 2, Kyren had a 35.3 percent success rate and Corum picked up the Rams run game with 8.8 yards per carry. In Week 4, Corum had a 22.2 percent success rate and Williams picked up the Rams run game with 5.9 yards per carry.
Still, despite their success, both come with their frustrations, to say the least. Williams’ fumbling issue has reared its ugly head with two fumbles in two games. Meanwhile, among running backs with at least seven targets, Corum leads the NFL in drop rate. Corum has been targeted seven times and has three catches. He’s dropped two of the four incompletions. That doesn’t mention that he dropped the ball on a toss play that resulted in a fumble.
Both Rams running backs cost the Rams in different ways last week against the San Francisco 49ers. It begs the question then if the Rams should utilize Jarquez Hunter in some fashion. That’s especially the case when considering the success of the rookie class. According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell,
“This is a special class of rookie running backs. Rookie running backs combined to rack up 737 rushing yards in Week 4, the most by any set of rookie backs in any week of September football since the 1970 merger. Week 3 ranked sixth by that same measure, and Week 5 wasn’t far behind. It’s rare to see so many rookie backs impacting games this early in the season. Overall, rookie runners have racked up 2,542 rushing yards through Week 5, good for the 10th most of any class since the merger.”
The issue here is that the Rams haven’t utilized Jarquez Hunter at all, despite drafting him inside the top-120. In fact, after drafting Hunter, the Rams opted to extend Kyren Williams, limiting any path of playing time for Hunter in the offense when you also consider that Corum is only in year two.
There were 12 running backs drafted in the first four rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft. Out of those 12 running backs, 11 have gotten at least one carry. The one running back to not have a carry through the first five weeks of the NFL season is Hunter.
Additionally, there were 25 running backs selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. Out of those 25 running backs, 20 have gotten at least one carry. The five that haven’t are:
- Jarquez Hunter (4th – 117th overall)
- Jordan James (5th – 147th overall)
- Kalel Mullings (6th – 188th overall)
- Damien Martinez (7th – 223rd overall)
- Phil Mafah (7th – 239th overall)
Three of those five running backs were taken in the sixth round or later which makes it somewhat understandable that they haven’t been used. The Rams traded up to select Hunter at 117.
This isn’t to say that Hunter deserves a full-time rotational role, but it’s also hard to say that he couldn’t help the Rams offense in some fashion or add something to the group. Hunter had three drops in 2023 and 2024 combined at Auburn and proved to be a terrific option as a receiver with reliable hands.
Rams head coach Sean McVay tends to value pass protection and that is the likely reason that Hunter hasn’t been utilized. At the same time, many rookie running backs struggle in pass protection and teams still find ways to utilize the play. For example, TreVeyon Henderson has struggled in pass protection with a PFF grade of 7.3, allowing three pressures. That has limited Henderson from taking over a lead role, but he has still managed a role in the offense. Ollie Gordon has struggled in pass protection, but he has at least one carry in each of the Miami Dolphins’ five games.
With Williams and Corum dominating the touches, it’s fair to wonder where Hunter fits in the equation. McVay has rarely used two running backs in the offense, let alone three. Williams and Corum have averaged a combined 18 touches per game. It doesn’t seem too difficult to disperse that in a 12-4-2 split.
Throughout the first five weeks of the NFL season, the story of the 2025 draft class has been the early success of the running backs. However, the exception seems to be Hunter who has yet to see the field and remains the odd man out in the Rams backfield. While the Rams have a strong duo in Williams and Corum, Hunter may be able to add a different skillset that those two don’t have.
