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UNC football star running back selected in first round of the NFL Draft
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- UNC football star running back selected in first round of the NFL Draft
The NFL Draft is now, and at least five names on last year's UNC football team are hoping to hear their names called over the next three days and seven rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft. The first of those players is running back Omarion Hampton , who was just selected in the first round as the No. 22 overall pick by the Los Angeles Chargers .
Los Angeles let Austin Ekeler , their long-time running back, go, and JK Dobbins took over last season. He will now be in the backfield with newly acquired Najee Harris , who was the starting running back committee in Pittsburgh last season and finished with 1,043 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
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Hampton is the second running back off the board in the draft after the Las Vegas Raiders selected Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 pick.
He will join a Los Angeles team led by head coach John Harbaugh, who has immense experience with talented running backs. He joins an offense complete with Justin Herbert , the former Oregon quarterback, at the helm and Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston on the outside.
Hampton finished his 2024 campaign in Chapel Hill with 1,660 yards on the ground and 15 touchdowns, both of which set or tied career highs for the dominant back. He also caught 38 passes for 373 yards and two touchdowns in the air, all career highs for the junior running back.
According to NFL analyst Lance Zierlein , "[He is a] High-volume battering ram with a three-ingredient recipe of size, strength, and aggression. Hampton is a linear runner lacking creativity and wiggle, but once the gas is engaged, he runs like a downhill truck whose brake lines have been cut. He has the base, balance, and power to batter tacklers and reignite runs after contact, but he fails to recognize alternative run lanes that offer easier paths and more yardage.
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Hampton will clearly be a very skilled player at the next level and will continue to represent the Tar Heels with pride, joining Javonte Williams and Michael Carter as the most recently selected North Carolina running backs.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC's Omarion Hampton drafted by LA Chargers at No. 22 in NFL Draft
