Only one fantasy team will get to select Ashton Jeanty, but I think the team picking at No. 2 in rookie drafts will also make out pretty well. Newest Charger Omarion Hampton looks like a solid choice.
Hampton was taken in the first round by the Chargers, which has good and bad elements to it. Good is that Jim Harbaugh wants to run the ball, so it's a great place for a featured-back type like Hampton to start his career. Bad is that Los Angeles signed Najee Harris in free agency, and since they're paying him $5.2 million this year, he's going to be getting work.
But Harris is on a one-year deal, so he definitely won't be blocking the rookie for long. And there's a pretty impressive recent history that suggests Hampton will be getting plenty of touches anyway, one way or another.
In the last 10 years, there have been 14 other running backs selected in the first round. One guy (Travis Etienne) was injured the entire season, and a second (Rashaad Penny) was beat out by Chris Carson; injuries were a huge factor in Penny's career and might have affected him that rookie season. Regardless, I'm leaving both out of the table.
The other 12 first-round running backs averaged 226 carries, 1,364 total yards and 9 touchdowns. Rookie stats shown in the table below.
| FIRST-ROUND RUNNING BACKS, 2015-PRESENT | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Pk | Player | Att | Run | No | Rec | Tot | TD |
| 2025 | 6 | Ashton Jeanty, L.V. | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 2025 | 22 | Omarion Hampton, LAC | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 2023 | 8 | Bijan Robinson, Atl. | 214 | 976 | 58 | 487 | 1463 | 8 |
| 2023 | 12 | Jahmyr Gibbs, Det. | 182 | 945 | 52 | 316 | 1261 | 11 |
| 2021 | 24 | Najee Harris, Pitt. | 307 | 1200 | 74 | 467 | 1667 | 10 |
| 2020 | 32 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire, K.C. | 181 | 803 | 36 | 297 | 1100 | 5 |
| 2019 | 24 | Josh Jacobs, Oak. | 242 | 1150 | 20 | 166 | 1316 | 7 |
| 2018 | 2 | Saquon Barkley, NYG | 261 | 1307 | 91 | 721 | 2028 | 15 |
| 2018 | 31 | Sony Michel, N.E. | 209 | 931 | 7 | 50 | 981 | 6 |
| 2017 | 4 | Leonard Fournette, Jac. | 268 | 1040 | 36 | 302 | 1342 | 10 |
| 2017 | 8 | Christian McCaffrey, Car. | 117 | 435 | 80 | 651 | 1086 | 7 |
| 2016 | 4 | Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 322 | 1631 | 32 | 363 | 1994 | 16 |
| 2015 | 10 | Todd Gurley, St.L. | 229 | 1106 | 21 | 188 | 1294 | 10 |
| 2015 | 15 | Melvin Gordon, S.D. | 184 | 641 | 33 | 192 | 833 | 0 |
| Average | 226 | 1014 | 45 | 350 | 1364 | 9 | ||
Hampton was a workhorse for North Carolina, averaging 267 carries, nearly 1,600 rushing yards and with 15 rushing scores each of the last two years. He can catch it (67 receptions and 3 more scores those years). Chargers don't use running backs much as receivers, but the rookie can play in those situations, and there will be some dumpoffs at times. He'll do a lot more with them, I think, than Harris would.
Maybe Hampton (or Jeanty) will be the next Etienne or Penny, injured or (in Hampton's case) shunted into a supporting role by Harris this season.
But the history and likelihood of both playing a big role right away sure looks good.
--Andy Richardson