Are Cardinals buying stock in the Hampton Inn?

Is RB Omarion Hampton “in” the Cardinals draft plans?

Does anyone remember, if you happened to have seen it, which draft pundit mocked North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton to the Arizona Cardinals at pick #16? I have opened up 20+ mocks to try to find it to no avail and maybe one of you can help me?

In any event, when I first saw Omarion Hampton’s name at #16, like many of you, I said, “no way, fat chance.”

However, I would like to give that draft pundit some bows of respect —- because the more one looks into Omarion Hampton as a pro prospect, the more one can see why Drew Petzing and Autry Denson could be drooling over the opportunity to make OH a member of the Arizona Cardinals.

OH WOW —- look at this:

OH WOW —- watch this:

OH WOW —- what current NFL RBs does OH remind you of?

6-1, 222, 4.46 40, 38” V, 10’10” B, 1.54 10-yard split —- RBs that size are not supposed to be able to post times and measurements like these.

OH MAN —- look at these 2024 PFF grades and stats:

• 88.4 —- Overall
• 90.5 —- Rushing grade
• 88.6 —- Zone grade*****
• 78.9 —- Gap grade
• 128.1 —- Elusive rating
• 4.35 —- Average yards after contact****
• 1,222 —- Yards after contact (#2 in FBS)****
• 73 —- Missed tackles (#10 in FBS)****
• 26 —- Carries of 20+ yards (#4 in FBS)****
• 171 —- Zone attempts (#14 in FBS)****

Conclusion —- Omarion Hampton is likely the closest RB the Cardinals could find to James Conner in terms of size and smashmouth running style —- only OH is faster (4.46 to JC’s 4.65) and quicker through the hole (1.54 to JC’s 1.58). One player comp Omarion is getting a lot these days is Josh Jacobs.

For the Cardinals to take Omarion Hampton in R1, where he currently is being mocked to a number of teams like the Cowboys (#12), Steelers (#21) and Chargers (#22) —- here’s what would have to happen:

1. The Cardinals would have to sign key veteran free agent starters at LG, RT, DT, ED, ILB, which is the one clear scenario that would open them up to take the top-rated player in their draft board.
2. The Cardinals top-rated players ahead of Omarion Hampton would have to be off the board.
3. The coaches would have to be 100% convinced that Omarion Hampton is their choice for RB1OF and agree that Trey Benson is best as RB2OF.
4. James Conner’s 2-year deal has $8.25M in guaranteed money —- which means it is, for all intents and purposes, a 1-year deal.

But wait, only fools draft RBs in the 1st round, right?

Not so fast.

Look at the impact Saquan Barkley and Jahmyr Gibbs had on their offenses this season. Do the Eagles win the Super Bowl without Barkley?

4 of the 2024 Pro Bowl RBs were Round 1 picks—- Barkley, Gibbs, Bijan Robinson and Josh Jacobs.

And perhaps the most persuasive arguments for the Cardinals drafting a 1st round RB are that in Drew Petzing’s offense, the RBs get the overwhelming majority of the touches and James Conner has not played in all 17 games in a season yet in Arizona. In fact, in the last games of the season this year, the RB room was down to Michael Carter, DeeJay Dallas and Tony Jones Jr.

If you asked Drew Petzing what he would rather have, a stud RB or stud WR, what would his answer be?

2024:

• RBs —- 438 touches
• QB runs, WR/TE catches —- 250 touches

While the odds of RB Omarion Hampton getting drafted by the Cardinals in Round 1 this year are would appear to be very low at the moment, maybe Cardinals’ fans shouldn’t entirely sleep on an eventual possibility.

If not Hampton, then there are other very good options to consider:

Hmm… the Ohio St. dynamic duo of Quinshon Judkins and Treveyon Henderson. Plus, Gotta love Kansas St.’s DJ Giddens and this blazing hot Sun Devil, Cam Skattebo:

Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images