Omarion Hampton Is An A+ Pick, Though Raiders May Have To Trade Up

The 2025 NFL Draft is coming up, and the Las Vegas Raiders could use help at a multitude of positions. While no position group needs more help than that of the quarterbacks, the running back unit isn’t too far behind.

Sin City’s head coach Pete Carroll isn’t shy about wanting to run the football frequently, but there’s one problem: The Raiders don’t have a premier running back on their roster.

Luckily, there’s a few ways the team can fix this issue during the offseason.

The easiest way to do this is drafting Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty with the sixth-overall pick.

In the eyes of many fans, selecting a running back at sixth isn’t an ideal thing to do. However, with players such as Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs recently being drafted in the top-12 and helping their club greatly, in addition to free agent running backs Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs and Saquan Barkley all signing elsewhere as free agents this past offseason and flourishing at their new destinations, this may be the direction the NFL is heading towards.

Another solution would be signing a proven veteran in free agency who may not be able to do it all himself, but has undeniable consistency. Najee Harris comes to mind, who’s not only posted 1,000-plus rushing yards each and every single year as a pro, but has ranked top-10 each season in forced missed tackles via Pro Football Focus.

Harris is the only player in the entirety of the National Football League to rank top-10 in forced missed tackles each season since 2021.

The third and final way is to draft a back in this year’s draft class, but not at sixth-overall. While all three scenarios are plenty realistic, this route seems the most likely of the three.

Omarion Hampton, perhaps?

Las Vegas Raiders need a running back, and Omarion Hampton solves that problem

Hampton is comparable to Detroit Lions runner Jahmyr Gibbs in many ways. Not only because these are two shifty backs with quick footwork and great vision, but because both are phenomenal prospects who were unfortunate enough to be in a draft class with an otherworldly prospect at their position.

Just as Bijan Robinson’s ‘hype’ made Gibbs an overlooked prospect, Hampton is getting much less love than he deserves due to the presence of Jeanty. In many draft classes, Hampton, like Gibbs, is the first running back taken in the draft, zero questions asked.

Hampton led the ACC in rushing yardage with 1,504 in 2023, then did the same thing again in 2024 with 1,660 yards on the ground. The six-foot runner totaled 15 rushing touchdowns during both seasons, adding another three scores in total as a pass-catcher.

This past season, Hampton was able to total 26 runs of 15-plus yardage; the fourth-most in the country. The 21-year-old back was also able to compile 72 forced missed tackles, ranking fifth-highest among all runners.

While Jeanty led the nation in each of these numbers, some by a wide margin, Hampton did well to keep up with the borderline-unrealistic bar Jeanty set.

Todd McShay is particularly high on Omarion Hampton

As a whole, this year’s running back class is as good as any have been in a long while. Jeanty is a big reason why, of course, but Hampton contributes to that just as much himself.

NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay aims to make that clear.

McShay spoke about the University of North Carolina runner earlier in the week, doing his best to make everyone aware that Hampton is a stud.

“Omarion Hampton is absolutely, without question, undoubtedly, the second-best running back in this class, behind Ashton Jeanty. And there probably should be a little bit more of a discussion about, he’s not that far off,” McShay noted.

“Hampton is an absolute freak. I think he’s special. When I start stacking the tape, there’s a difference. He does it all. When you’re talking about guys who will transcend, who will just work, who can be the workhorse, I think Jeanty and Hampton are clearly the most complete backs in the class.”

Things like this are oftentimes quite subjective, but in this case, it truly is hard to disagree with McShay. Hampton does it all; the tape reflects that, and so do the numbers.

The numbers on the ground are the bread-winner here, as they should be, but 595 additional yards on 67 catches over the course of two seasons is a sweet little bonus.

Selecting the UNC back

Hampton really is a prospect who excels in many different areas. As a runner, this is a quick and shifty player who possesses excellent vision and footwork to get where he wants to be. He has the patience to let blocks develop as well as the strength to shed off would-be tacklers en route to extra yardage.

Fortunately for the Raiders, the team has an early pick in the second round; similar to having a late first-round selection, but without a fifth-year option attached to the pick. Unfortunately, it’s extremely unlikely a player of Hampton’s ability will be on the board when the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft rolls around.

If Las Vegas wants Hampton, a player who can single-handedly give Sin City a respectable presence on the ground for years to come, trading up will likely have to be in the plans.

There are pros and cons to such a move. The obvious pro is, you secure a player of Hampton’s caliber, at a position that needs an abundance of work.

The con, however, is giving up assets to move up and draft a player at a position that’s absolutely loaded with talent this year.

While it’s extremely unlikely Hampton will be there by the time the Raiders are on the clock in Day 2, plenty of talented backs will be available. Even as round three comes along, there should still be more than one notable running back left on the board, albeit not one at Hampton’s level.

Is it worth trading up to secure Hampton, or is staying put and grabbing another talented back later? Or perhaps simply selecting Jeanty at sixth-overall is the move.

We’ll find out what John Spytek and the Raiders decide to do in April.