Despite making the playoffs in 2024, the Pittsburgh Steelers season was a disappointment. A significant reason for that was the struggles the Steelers had on offense. Pittsburgh was supposed to be a run-heavy team and lean on the backs to keep the offense moving.
This didn't come to fruition and now, with Najee Harris signed with the Los Angeles Chargers, running back is a serious roster need. The folks at The Draft Network have a new mock draft out and in a surprising move, the Steelers address the running back need in the first round with former North Carolina star Omarion Hampton.
Here's what they had to say about the pick:
The Steelers are sniffing around the top running backs in the class and I bet they make an early addition to add to Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell. If they do go with a running back on day one, Omarion Hampton would be a great fit. Hampton is closer to being RB1 than he is RB3 and has all the tools to be an impact playmaker in Arthur Smith's offense.
Most pundits feel like the gap between Hampton and Boise State's Ashton Jeanty isn't very wide but the gap after Hampton to the next tier or backs is huge. While we aren't going to go that far, Hampton is a future NFL star in large part because he has the size of Harris but with elite explosion and speed. Harris' lack of acceleration was his undoing on many short runs that should have gone for more yards.
Is this the pick we would have made in this scenario? It would have been close. Defensive tackle Kenneth Grant is still on the board and he's still our No. 1 option with Hampton just behind him. The depth of the running back class in comparison to defensive tackle would be our main motivation to go DT first. Pittsburgh doesn't have a second-round pick, so taking Hampton now makes that defensive tackle pick in the third a much greater risk.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Steelers select Omarion Hampton in new mock draft
