The Los Angeles Chargers and the team's fanbase feel confident that the team landed a good running back in Omarion Hampton in the first round of this year's draft. They can't wait to see how good.
Maurice Jones-Drew, a former NFL player who knows a little something about playing running back, and now works for NFL Network as an analyst, recently ranked the top 32 running backs in the league. Not only did he put Hampton in the No. 13 spot, he will raise some eyebrows with where he put Ashton Jeanty, the first running back taken in the draft.
Some of you might be surprised to see Hampton ranked higher than No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty, based on their respective standings in my pre-draft RB rankings , but hear me out.
Hampton joins a Jim Harbaugh-led offense that loves to run the ball, so there will be plenty of touches to go around. He should be the bell cow for this unit -- with veteran Najee Harris in the backup role -- thanks to his patience and ability to bounce off defenders.
Hampton is in the perfect situation to find early success, and while you could say similar things about Jeanty, Pete Carroll's recent comments (which I'll get to in a minute) swayed my opinion some", wrote Jones-Drew.
Jeanty comes in at No. 17 on the list.
We know that Jim Harbaugh is going to pound the football in the running game and the combination of Hampton and Harris could be the biggest key to any success the team achieves this year. But placing Hampton ahead of Jeanty, who many see as the best running back to hit the league since Saquon Barkley, is going to be a controversial take.
Your friends in your fantasy football leagues are not going to agree. But when you have to "settle" for Hampton because Jeanty is already off the board, your team will reap the rewards.
On the real football field, Hampton will be able to show that the gap between he and Jeanty is not as far off as some people may have you believe.
MORE CHARGERS CONTENT
Two big names for Chargers at wide receiver are not guaranteed roster spots in 2025
Chargers have two of the most overhyped players in recent history battling for QB reps
Chargers predicted to make massive trade for $31 million, former top-5 NFL Draft pick
Chargers first-round pick, Omarion Hampton, disrespected in recent rankings
Chargers predicted to pluck prolific player from AFC North team to further stack O-Line