The question that’s hampering Omarion Hampton’s draft capital is this: How will Omarion Hampton’s role change in the Mike McDaniel offense? To find the answer to this question we’re going to see how well McDaniel’s running backs produced, and we’ll figure out how Hampton, Keaton Mitchell, and Kimani Vidal all fit into this backfield for the Los Angeles Chargers.
What Have We Seen?
Omarion Hampton
Drafted in the first round of the 2025 draft, the North Carolina Tar Heel played better than many anticipated. He averaged 4.4 yards per carry behind one of the worst offensive lines in football last season. Hampton was impressive.
He missed some time last season after suffering a fractured ankle in Week 5, but he returned to the field in Week 14, and made his way back to over 50% of snaps by Week 16. Weeks 16 and 17, he scored 16.5 and 20 fantasy points respectively. So while he missed the middle of the season, the bookends were great. Accumulating a total of 124 carries for 545 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns, Hampton finished the season as RB35.
In games where Hampton was healthy and received more than 17 opportunities, he averaged 18.3 fantasy points. If you remove Week 1 against the Chiefs, that average jumps to 20.4 points per game. Hampton’s usage in the Chargers offense was what you expect from a first round rookie running back, and in the games he played, he proved why the Chargers spent that kind of capital on him.
Mike McDaniel
In 2017, Mike McDaniel became the run game coordinator for Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers. In his time with the 49ers, McDaniel was part of an offense that provided a path for running backs like Carlos Hyde, Elijah Mitchell and Raheem Mostert to career seasons.