The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton on a pre-draft visit earlier this week, and NFL Media’s Gennaro Filice believes Hampton will land with them in the first round. In his second mock draft for NFL.com, Filice mocked Hampton to the Steelers at No. 21 overall.
“Regardless of who ends up starting under center in Pittsburgh, you have to imagine this team will continue to pound the rock,” he wrote. “The Steelers have ranked in the top 10 in rushing attempts in every season since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, vaulting to No. 4 in Arthur Smith ’s maiden voyage as offensive coordinator last year. Smith remains at the controls, but Najee Harris — who easily paced Pittsburgh in every major rushing category over each of the past four seasons — departed in free agency. Hampton’s a true bell-cow back who could allow the Steelers to keep Jaylen Warren in the change-of-pace role that seems to suit him best.”
Hampton visited with the Steelers on Wednesday, and he’s widely regarded as the second-best running back in the draft behind Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. He was one of the most productive backs in the nation over the last two seasons, running for 1,504 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023 while adding 29 receptions for 222 yards and a score. He bettered those numbers last season, running for 1,660 yards and 15 touchdowns with 38 receptions for 373 yards and two touchdowns.
At the Combine, Hampton measured in at 5116 and 221 pounds, running a 4.46 40-yard dash with a 10’10” broad jump and 38-inch vertical. That was good for a 9.78 relative athletic score, the 43rd-best of all running backs since 1987.
With Najee Harris leaving in free agency, the Steelers are expected to draft a running back. Currently, their running back room has Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell and Cordarelle Patterson leading the pack, but Patterson isn’t a lock to make the roster and the Steelers will look to add someone to join Warren and Gainwell. Most of the pre-draft visitors the team has brought in at running back are projected mid-round picks, but it’s notable that Hampton came in too with him now widely expected to be a first-round selection.
While the expectation remains that the Steelers will draft a defensive lineman, the potential for them taking a running back or quarterback could be rising after they hosted Hampton and Shedeur Sanders for pre-draft visits this week. Jeanty is expected to be gone by Pittsburgh’s first-round selection, so if the team does want to take a first-round running back, it would likely wind up being Hampton.
In Filice’s mock draft, Jeanty went No. 5 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Omarion Hampton was the second running back off the board and the only other one selected.
