Downhill Runner Named Perfect Fit for Steelers in 2025 NFL Draft
North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton has been named a perfect fit for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers lost running back Najee Harris to the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency, which is why many believe they could replace him with their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Matt Bowen of ESPN is one of those and thinks North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton would be a perfect fit for the Steelers at pick No. 21.
“Hampton would step in as the lead runner for the Pittsburgh offense, allowing Jaylen Warren to maintain his role as a change-of-pace back,” Bowen writes. “Hampton can play downhill, using his contact balance and lower-body power to drive the pile. I could see him producing as a zone runner for coordinator Arthur Smith, picking his running lanes to get vertical and creating explosive plays. Hampton produced 45 rushes of 10 or more yards last season. He would also give the Steelers a bump in the pass game on swings, screens and unders.”
Hampton is viewed as the second best running back prospect in this year’s draft, behind only Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty.
The 6-foot, 221-pound running back has displayed exactly why that should be the case while rushing for 3,164 yards and 30 touchdowns over the past two years at North Carolina. Hampton also recorded 67 catches for 595 yards and three more scores during the span.
The 21-year-old then showed out at the NFL Scouting Combine, running a 4.46-second 40-yard dash and posting a 38-inch vertical jump and 10-foot-10 broad jump.
The Steelers already have running backs Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell under contract for 2025. But they are smaller-framed backs and Hampton could prove to be the perfect complement just like Harris was.
However, Pittsburgh has other needs that it still needs to address, including quarterback and defensive line, and if the team doesn’t fix those positions before the draft, running back may be pushed down the board.