For discussion of the pick outside of the open thread.

Some media draft sources I like:

Dane Brugler at the Athletic ranked Hampton as the #2 RB and #29 overall player. From his draft profile:

With his NFL-ready frame, Hampton quickly reads the blocking scheme and collects his feet to accelerate through congestion or press and cut toward slivers of daylight. Once he gets north-south, he will mash the gas pedal into second-level defenders, but sometimes does so at the expense of his balance — and those heavy hits will take their toll over time. Overall, Hampton has only average creativity and is a tad tight in his hips and ankles, but he is a bruising runner with an effective blend of patience, power and speed. Given his reliability on passing downs, he is a complete player and should start as an NFL rookie.

PFF ranked Hampton as the #2 RB and #25 overall player. From PFF's draft profile:

At 6 feet and 220 pounds, he brings ideal size to the position for the NFL. Hampton is also one of the class’ most physically gifted backs, boasting top-tier explosiveness for his size. He has a high missed tackles forced average, which is rooted in his ability to stay balanced and drive through contact. His vision as a runner can be hit-and-miss. He is better behind zone blocking (specifically, mid-zone plays) where he can hit a running lane with momentum.

When asked to truly read behind inside zone and gap concepts, Hampton can get impatient and get north before it is necessary. As a pass blocker, his 2023 grades were better than his 2024 marks, but he has the frame to do it. He is also a good option out of the backfield as a receiver.

Bottom Line

Hampton is one of the class' most physically gifted running backs with his combination of size, explosiveness and lower-body strength. He can be a productive slasher type of runner behind zone schemes, but his overall vision could make him a boom-or-bust producer, depending on his offensive line.

Lance Zeuerlein at nfl.com ranked Hampton as the #3 RB and tied for #38 overall player with a 6.35 grade. From his draft profile:

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. He needs to work on his pass protection but can create positive plays on swing passes and screens. Hampton is a tone-setting future starter who can handle a heavy workload, but he absorbs rare levels of heavy contact that could create durability or longevity issues if he doesn’t learn to pick and choose his battles.

NFL Comparison: Rhamondre Stevenson

Sports Info Solutions ranked Hampton as the #2 RB and #7 overall player with a 6.8 grade. From SIS's draft profile:

Pass Game
Hampton has good ability in the passing game and can serve as a legitimate three-down back at the next level. He has smooth, easy hands for a running back and is near seamless when going from a receiver to a runner. He was used a good amount in the screen game at North Carolina and was able to break off monster gains when catching the ball in space. Hampton will not need to leave the field on obvious passing downs at the next level, as he shows good pass pro ability as well. His technique is sound as he looks to square defenders up and is not afraid to stick his nose in and mix it up. While he does not show great aggression as a protector he is careful not to overextend himself to avoid whiffs when blocking.

Run Game
Hampton runs the ball with a combo of nasty demeanor coveted in running backs and a gliding style when he gets into space. He shows the ability to run in a variety of schemes, but was mostly used in zone schemes at North Carolina and does his best work out of those looks. Hampton has good vision overall and especially excels at finding creases in zone runs and hitting cutback lanes. He has good play speed overall; he is not the twitchiest player when it comes to stopping and starting on a dime, but he shows plus burst and has the long speed required to turn modest gains into touchdowns. His contact balance is very good which makes it extremely difficult for defenders to take him down without wrapping up and gang tackling. He has solid elusiveness and especially excels at manipulating pursuing defenders in the open field before making them miss.

There are a couple mentions there that make it sound like he is better behind zone blocking, which is mostly what UNC used in his college career. But this is Harbaugh and Hortiz. They obviously would not draft him at 22 without full confidence that he fits Roman's scheme.

My take:

As for my take on the pick, I don't love it, but I understand it, with all of these players off the board:

• RB: Jeanty
• TE: Loveland, Warren
• WR: Hunter, McMillan, Egbuka
• OL: Zabel
• IDL: Graham, Grant, Nolen, Harmon
• Edge: Carter, Williams, Walker, Stewart

The board was not kind, with only 1 QB, 5 OL, and 1 DB going and LB Campbell not going before 22. I was very disappointed when the Steelers took Harmon at 21.

I understand that the Chargers considered trading down in the first round with Buffalo and Philadephia (and others?) but did not get whatever they wanted. I would love to know what offers they had. I suspect I would have taken one of them.

As for fit on the Chargers, I expect Hampton will start out as RB 1b to Harris's 1a, but I think Hampton will overtake Harris for the 1a role fairly quickly if healthy. I expect this means Harris will be with the Chargers for just one year, and Hampton will become a true feature RB in 2026.

In order for Hampton to fulfill expectations, he will have to be the best NFL RB who ever played at UNC. Today, that distinction probably goes to Natrone Means or Javonte Williams. I hate that I have to root for an ex-UNC player now, but I will take satisfaction in the fact that Hampton was 0-3 vs. NC State.

Harris:

In hindsight, I don't like Harris being one of the Chargers' premium veteran free agent signings and then also investing pick 22 at the same position. But that is hindsight, so I can't really fault the Chargers for it. I assume they expected to draft another position at 22 and add more of a complementary RB later in the draft.

I assume this makes Harris much less likely to reach the incentives in his contract, so the Chargers will probably save a bit of cap space there. But I also suspect this will depress Harris's market value a bit next offseason, lowering the potential comp pick value he might generate.

Vidal:

This seems to be bad news for Vidal. Hard to see him getting offensive snaps if both Hampton and Harris are healthy, and Vidal only played 6 snaps on special teams last season. Sitting here right now, I don't think he will make the final 53 man roster. I could see him maybe making the practice squad, but even that doesn't seem like a given.

Conclusion:

The good news about this is that Hampton seems to be a great fit for the identity Harbaugh wants for this team. Hopefully he will be better than a Harris level RB, and the Chargers now have him in place for 4-5 seasons, and should not have to worry about the RB position again for years.

Day 2:

Hoping for:

• Trading up, adding a 3rd day 2 pick and/or trading day 3 pick(s) for Mark Andrews. Not sure both are possible, but hoping for one of these to happen.
• Drafting 1 Edge and 1 IDL player. If they end up with a 3rd day 2 pick, I could see any of WR, TE (if not trading for Andrews), or G. But I would personally prioritize Edge and IDL above those positions, assuming the board supports it.