Charger Report

Chargers' first rounder Omarion Hampton puts immediate pressure on Najee Harris

The Los Angeles Chargers selected North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton with the 22nd pick in the NFL Draft, a move that puts the heat on newly acquired free agent Najee Harris.
Brian Letscher|
Nov 16, 2024; North Carolina Tar Heels running back Omarion Hampton (28)
Nov 16, 2024; North Carolina Tar Heels running back Omarion Hampton (28) | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles ChargersNorth Carolina Tar Heels

Los Angeles Chargers head man Jim Harbaugh and OC Greg Roman love to run the football and run it with power. Their first round selection of North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton demonstrated that philosophy, especially given that the Chargers just acquired free agent bruiser, Najee Harris.

Najee Harris
Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) runs against the Kansas City Chiefs. | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Harris signed a one-year deal for $5.4 million just a couple months ago but it didn't take long for the Chargers to put some competition in the running back room by drafting the explosive Hampton with the 22nd pick.

Harris, 6'1", 235 pounds -- occasionally more -- has proven himself a workhorse back in the league, running for a solid but unspectacular 3.9 yards per carry. Hampton, on the other hand, ran a 4.46 forty yard dash with the capability to break off a long touchdown runs while also possessing the power to run behind his pads.

Chargers GM Joe Hortiz may have tipped off the Hampton pick just last week, “Certainly you want to build a complete backfield with some versatility,”Hortiz told reporters. “But you don’t want to discount a player who is similar to Najee because, again, it may not be a need (now), but it could be a need (in the future).”

Sounds like the Chargers knew exactly what they were doing all along. Preparing to run the ball. It just may be a whole lot more Hampton than Harris.

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Brian Letscher
BRIAN LETSCHER

A Michigan native, Brian graduated from the University of Michigan in another century, where he earned a degree in economics and a Rose Bowl Championship ring while playing football for the Wolverines under Head Coach Gary Moeller. Brian went on to coach Division 1A football for several years before becoming a full-time writer and actor while maintaining an unhealthy interest in sports. He is currently developing a scripted television series, THOSE WHO STAY, based on a series of historical fiction articles he wrote about Bo Schembechler's Michigan football program as they struggle to unite and win the championship - which requires beating #1 Ohio State - during the tumultuous civil rights and anti-war movements of 1969.

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