2025 NFL Draft: Pittsburgh Steelers hosting North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton on visit

The Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly hosting North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton on a pre-draft visit. The 2025 NFL Draft is two weeks away.

“Source: The Steelers are hosting North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton today on a pre-draft visit,” Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz wrote on Twitter. “Pittsburgh allowed Najee Harris to leave in free agency this offseason. Hampton is widely expected to go in Round 1.”

Hampton would be a logical replacement for Harris. In free agency, Harris went to the Los Angeles Chargers.

On ‘First Draft’, ESPN’s Field Yates rated Hampton at No. 26 among the overall prospects in his Top 50. He then, on Wednesday, released a new mock draft that had Hampton going in the first round at No. 20 to the Denver Broncos. That, for reference in comparison to Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, had him 22 spots behind on the big board and 14 spots behind in the mock to Yates.

“Omarion Hampton? He’s a great player. I mean, this guy, back-to-back seasons with 1,500-plus rushing yards. He had 67 catches over the past two years. Ran a 4.46, 219 pounds,” Yates said. “I just can’t get on board with the idea that the gap between him and Ashton Jeanty is that narrow.

“Like, the level of explosion, I think, is different. I know that Ashton Jeanty did not run a 40 during the pre-draft process – probably no need to for him. I think at least plays a lot faster than Omarion Hampton. And just the contact balance? That, to me, is the rarest of traits that Ashton Jeanty has as opposed to Omarion Hampton, who’s a really good player. You’re going to see a bunch of explosive runs from this guy. You’re going to see breakaway speed for this player. I just feel like, when I’m watching Ashton Jeanty? I don’t care if he’s playing against some Mountain West team or Oregon in the third week of the season last year. Every week, he’s like a human pinball machine who just keeps going and going and going.”

Jeanty and Hampton have separated themselves as the top-two at running back in this draft class, including here by these experts for ESPN. Mel Kiper just thinks the latter is much closer to the former than his fellow expert does in being in the upper half of that first round.

Sam Gillenwater contributed to this report