It was just a few years ago that the discourse surrounding running backs in the NFL was centered on their declining value. Over the last couple seasons, the teams that have invested in the position have been rewarded on the field as the pendulum swings back to run-first offenses. Three-down backs are proving their value and UNC RB Omarion Hampton sits near the top of this year’s draft class as the embodiment of that.
“I’m a three-down back. I can do everything,” Hampton told me and a group of reporters at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. “I can pass block, I can catch out the back field.