Bear Digest

2025 NFL Draft: Bears have another RB option besides Ashton Jeanty at No. 10 overall

Ashton Jeanty has dominated the 2025 NFL draft running back conversation, but there's another viable option the Chicago Bears could consider at No. 10 overall.
Bryan Perez|
Sarah Kloepping/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty has dominated the running back conversation in the 2025 NFL Draft, and for good reason. Often compared to Hall of Fame runner LaDainian Tomlinson, Jeanty profiles as the kind of offensive weapon who can transform a franchise much like Saquon Barkley did for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024.

The Chicago Bears have been linked to Jeanty in more than a few 2025 mock drafts, but the odds he slides to the 10th overall pick remain low. He's scheduled to visit with the Las Vegas Raiders this week, who currently hold the sixth pick and have a huge need at running back.

If Jeanty gets picked before the Bears are on the clock, the expectation is that GM Ryan Poles will focus his attention on finishing his offensive line rebuild by selecting an offensive tackle.

Not so fast, my friend.

If Chicago has its heart set on upgrading the running back position in the first round, Ashton Jeanty isn't the only prospect worthy of the 10th pick. North Carolina's Omarion Hampton's draft stock is skyrocketing, and the latest buzz around the 6-foot, 221-pounder suggests he's headed for a top-15 selection.

Is Omarion Hampton in play for the Chicago Bears in Round 1?

Hampton should be in play for the Bears. He's that talented. He blends an elite combination of traits: vision, burst, and power through contact, and has deceiving long speed (evidenced by his 4.46 40-yard dash).

North Carolina Tar Heels running back Omarion Hampton (28) runs for a touchdown
Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

What makes him an intriguing prospect for Chicago, even at No. 10 overall, is how much more he'd bring to the offense than D'Andre Swift. The yards Swift failed to gain after contact are yards Hampton would gobble up. And those yards keep the offense on the field, and eventually lead to points.

Sure, Hampton isn't as sexy of a first-round running back as Jeanty, who's owned headlines since the 2024 college football season. But he reminds me quite a bit of Nick Chubb, the Cleveland Browns star running back who, before suffering a serious knee injury in 2023, was one of the NFL's best all-around players.

"High-volume battering ram with a three-ingredient recipe of size, strength and aggression," NFL.com's Lance Zierlein wrote of Hampton in his NFL Draft scouting report. "Hampton is a linear runner lacking creativity and wiggle, but once the gas is engaged, he runs like a downhill truck whose brake lines have been cut. He has the base, balance and power to batter tacklers and reignite runs after contact but he fails to recognize alternative run lanes that offer easier paths and more yardage. He needs to work on his pass protection but can create positive plays on swing passes and screens. Hampton is a tone-setting future starter who can handle a heavy workload, but he absorbs rare levels of heavy contact that could create durability or longevity issues if he doesn’t learn to pick and choose his battles."

It's tough to project any incoming rookie to make an impact like Chubb (or Tomlinson), but Omarion Hampton's odds for success with the Chicago Bears would be high, running behind the team's revamped offensive line while under the watchful eye of Ben Johnson.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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