Chargers rookie Omarion Hampton as LaDainian Tomlinson? NFL analyst takes it there

The hype around Los Angeles Chargers first-round running back Omarion Hampton is understandably huge. 

Hampton was a great prospect, after all, perhaps the first running back off the board in years that didn’t see Ashton Jeanty headlining the draft class. Plus, he’s joining Jim Harbaugh, known runner of the football…often. 

But a LaDainian Tomlinson comparison? Seems a little wild, right? 

Maybe not. Fox Sports’ Rob Rang just went there while comparing each team’s rookie to a franchise great: 

“With all due respect to Pro Bowlers Melvin Gordon and Ryan Mathews, you’ll have to go back to Tomlinson to find a bell-cow back for the Chargers so perfectly suited to his team’s offense as Hampton is with Jim Harbaugh. The six-foot, 221-pounder offers the size and power to carry the load as a masher inside, but he’s also a legitimate breakaway threat. Hampton has All-Pro upside and could be the centerpiece of the ground-oriented attack that pushes the Chargers from playoff participant to true Super Bowl contender.”

Even the most optimistic of fans aren’t going to throw out comparisons to the legendary Tomlinson for Hampton. 

But at the same time, Chargers fans probably aren’t going to complain about it, either. 

Before anything else, all onlookers will need to see how much Hampton even cracks into the lineup as a rookie due to the presence of veteran Najee Harris. It figures to be quite a bit, but it remains a competition for an old-school head coach, and a steady rotation could keep Justin Herbert’s offense effective for 17-plus games.