Chargers' most likely selection listed by ESPN draft predictor

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers could go many ways in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. 

Almost everything feels on the table for the Chargers and Jim Harbaugh at this point, eliminating obvious things like quarterback, kicker and offensive tackles who can’t kick inside, to name a few spots. 

One interesting facet is how certain formulas project the draft unfolding. ESPN Analytics just released its draft day predictor and it lists one prospect above all others as having the outright highest chance to be taken at No. 22 by the Chargers:

North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton. 

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Hampton has a better than 10 percent chance of being selected on the graph, with no other prospect even checking in at eight percent. The next highest is Shermar Stewart and Derrick Harmon, two defensive linemen. 

Talk about Harbaugh’s presence weighing heavy in the analytics, right? 

Harbaugh wants to dominate the trenches and run the ball. Hampton, who just ran for 1,660 yards and 15 scores on a 5.9 per-carry average, would be a short-term boon in a rotation with Najee Harris and a possible every-down elite runner in the future. 

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There are other names on the graph for the Chargers at No. 22 and many of them are indeed skill position weapons for Justin Herbert through the air. But this particular data point zooms right in on running back as a possible outcome, so fans might want to keep expectations in line with that, for better or worse. 

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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