Running the football is supposed to be the Chicago Bears’ bread and butter—at least, it has been for the past two years under Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus. However, the team has gotten off to a dismal start on the ground this season. Part of that is inadequate blocking up front. The offensive line isn’t creating adequate lanes often enough. However, this has also exposed an uncomfortable reality for the team. They don’t seem to have a running back who is capable of creating things on his own.
D’Andre Swift is electric in the open field, but his ability to shake off tacklers has proven to be subpar for most of this season. Khalil Herbert is a great slasher but not as effective without lanes to run through. Roschon Johnson is strong enough to break tackles but lacks the explosiveness to make defenses pay once free. This might explain why Bears representatives are popping up at games featuring prominent running backs lately. North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton seems to have their attention at the moment.
Ryan Poles has a type, and Hampton fits it.
We’ve seen that the Bears GM prefers good size and versatility. He also likes players who display a certain degree of violence. Hampton checks those boxes. He’s 5’11 and 219 lbs. His power and contact balance allow him to run through arm tackles with ease. Once through the first wave, he has the speed to hit the home run. An important note with him is he does most of his rushing from shotgun, something the Bears haven’t had a lot of success with this season despite it being a core part of their scheme under Shane Waldron.
Hampton ranks third in the country with 658 rushing yards. He also had 13 catches for 107 yards. Projections have him going on Day 2 of the 2025 draft. Ryan Poles has three picks in that range, including two 2nd rounders. It would be the perfect place to grab a prominent running back. Herbert is a free agent next year, as is Travis Homer. If Ryan Poles isn’t confident in the tandem of Swift and Johnson, then drafting Hampton to fortify the Bears backfield makes plenty of sense.
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Build the trenches Poles.
2025 Draft: 1st DE, 2nd DT, 2nd G, 3rd C, 4th S.
This is pretty nonsensical to me. They just invested 2-3 years in a running back and drafted another they believe in last season. If they are there to focus on any individual player, it is likely DE, Kaimon Rucker who is projected at this time to likely be drafted in the 2nd or 3rd round next year.
You never know how free agency will work out, but I’ll assume we get at least one OL. Two of the picks should be OL and the other should be DL.
Are there other players Poles could have been there for besides Hampton?