The Chargers retooled the running back room this offseason, signing Najee Harris, releasing Gus Edwards and choosing not to re-sign J.K. Dobbins, who still remains a free agent.
As it stands, the positional room consists of Harris, second-year Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins. On paper, this group is unfinished, and it’s likely they will come away from the draft with a running back.
At his pre-draft media availability on Thursday, general manager Joe Hortiz said they’re looking for specific skills to pair with Harris.
“Certainly you want to build a complete backfield with some versatility,” Hortiz said. “But you don’t want to discount a player who is similar to Najee because, again, it may not be a need (now) but it could be a need (down the road).”
If Najee is going to serve as the bruiser in the backfield, the Bolts need an explosive element to complement him.
With that in mind, Los Angeles could target North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton in the first round. Beyond that, Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson, Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten, Texas’ Jaydon Blue, and Kansas State’s DJ Giddens are just a few other players that would make sense for the Chargers.