The 2025 NFL free agency period reshaped many rosters and shifted the outlook for several teams. In many cases, retaining a player becomes more expensive than what the open market is willing to offer, thus making departures inevitable in the name of roster sustainability.
The Pittsburgh Steelers had to deal with the loss of a running back who had been a steady contributor over the past four seasons. Najee Harris, a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, rushed for at least 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons in Pittsburgh and left town with 4,312 career rushing yards.
However, he lacked the explosiveness to produce at a higher level, often relying on a heavy workload to be effective. With running back now a clear need, it’s likely that Pittsburgh will address the position at some point in the draft.
Omarion Hampton Set To Meet With Pittsburgh Steelers
According to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, the Steelers are set to meet with North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton. Pittsburgh holds the No. 21 overall pick and Hampton is considered one of the top two prospects at his position — with projections placing him as a potential first-round selection.
Source: The #Steelers are hosting North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton today on a pre-draft visit.
Pittsburgh allowed Najee Harris to leave in free agency this offseason. Hampton is widely expected to go in Round 1. pic.twitter.com/jAq6Ku5rki
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 9, 2025
In 2024, Pittsburgh ranked 25th in the PFSN Offensive+ Metric — once again hitting its ceiling in the Wild Card Round. The Steelers have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in four of the last five years, and a big part of that is due to the offense consistently underperforming when it matters most.
In the season’s decisive game against the Baltimore Ravens, the run game completely disappeared — posting just a 25% success rate, with only 29 total rushing yards on 11 attempts. When filtering out quarterback runs and focusing solely on running backs, the numbers drop even further: just eight carries for 23 yards.
Adding a running back like Hampton could be the spark this offense needs to regain explosiveness and become a more disruptive unit. In a division that features the high-powered offenses of the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh needs to find a way to strike back and keep up with its rivals.
What Are Hampton’s Strengths and Weaknesses?
Hampton was highly productive at the college level. Over three seasons at North Carolina, the running back totaled 40 touchdowns including 36 scores on the ground. The 6-foot, 220-pounder also racked up 3,565 rushing yards while catching 73 passes for 635 receiving yards for the Tar Heels.
Needless to say, Hampton caught the attention of NFL scouts across the league. PFSN analyst Brentley Weissman broke down Hampton’s strengths and weaknesses:
Strengths
- Well built running back who plays with good pad level and balance, which allows him to consistently bounce off would be tacklers
- Light on his feet for a bigger back and able to sift through traffic while running through the hole
- Has good short area explosiveness to burst through the line of scrimmage and into the second level
- Very good patience to set up blocks and read and react off them properly
- Outstanding vision and run instincts to feel the crease open up and evade tacklers in the open field
Weaknesses
- Not a true home run threat and doesn’t have breakaway speed once in the open field
- A linear north/south runner, he lacks the change of direction and fluid hips to make defenders miss in the open field
- A get what’s there type of runner, he doesn’t have the ability to create big plays when things aren’t blocked up well
- Needs refinement in pass protection and must work on his hand placements and getting better at striking with timing
If not for star prospect Ashton Jeanty — widely considered the best running back prospect since Saquon Barkley — Hampton would likely be viewed as the top back in this class. He’s expected to be a first-round pick, and could even surprise everyone by going as high as near the Top 10.
They didn’t lose Najee they let a 4300 yard back go who had been a steady contributer who didn’t miss a start despite having bad offensive coordinators and sub par offensive line.