Chargers bolster run game, select Omarion Hampton with first-round draft pick

Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times on Apr 24, 2025

Published in Football

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The Chargers picked running back Omarion Hampton with the No. 22 overall selection in the 2025 NFL draft on Thursday, adding another weapon to an offense that is hoping to back up its reputation for physicality in Jim Harbaugh’s second season.

Hampton rushed for 1,660 yards and 15 touchdowns for North Carolina last season. He was the second running back picked in the first round Thursday, following Boise State star Ashton Jeanty, who went sixth overall to the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Chargers added former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris in free agency, but are thin in the backfield as no one has signed free agent J.K. Dobbins. The running back rushed for a career-best 905 yards for the Chargers last season, his first year back after an Achilles injury.

In addition to the first-round pick, the Chargers are slated to make two selections Friday with the 55th and 86th overall picks. They also own the 125th and 158th picks and finish the draft with four sixth-round picks (Nos. 181, 199, 209, 214) and one seventh-round selection (No. 256).