If it weren’t for Ashton Jeanty and his otherworldly 2024 season, North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton would be the highest-rated running back in a draft class that’s pretty stacked at the position. Jeanty’s numbers make everyone else’s look minuscule by comparison, but Hampton’s 1,660 rushing yards and 15 TDs on the ground, along with 373 yards and two TDs through the air in his senior year, were nothing to scoff at.
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Hampton is the type of grind-it-out bell-cow back who used to dominate the league. He doesn’t need a third-down back to handle passing situations.
Not only is Hampton a talented and productive pass-catcher, but he’s also a willing and capable pass-blocker who identifies assignments well. His perfect blend of size, strength, and speed (a 4.46 time in the 40-yard dash at the Combine) led to 1,026 yards after contact, which ranked third in the nation.
Considering all that, it’s no wonder Hampton has a lot of suitors leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft. Jeanty is likely to be gone in the first half of the first round, and after that, all eyes will be on Hampton when it comes to RBs.
He is likely to go in the latter half of that first round, where there are a lot of RB-needy teams picking. However, he’s not revealing anything about which teams have been kicking the tyres on him during the pre-draft process.
“I feel like there might be a couple. But I feel like it’s one of those things where everybody’s got different opinions. Everybody doesn’t truly know. I try to keep my head down, so whatever team picks me, I’ll be happy there. … I’ve had a couple of visits, and then I had a bunch of Zooms. I had a Zoom with almost every team, all 32 teams, really.”
Hampton was discussing the draft with NFL NBC analysts Ahmed Fareed and Chris Simms. Simms even revealed that, through conversations with NFL coaches and execs, some teams actually have Hampton rated higher than Jeanty.
“I’ve had teams tell me that they’ve got you ranked ahead of Ashton Jeanty on the board.”
Jeanty’s numbers were downright silly in 2024. But it would not be surprising to see many teams rating Omarion Hampton more highly than the Boise State back when it comes to both pass-catching and pass-blocking.
There are a few teams that could take aim at Hampton in the latter half of the first round. The Pittsburgh Steelers will be in the market for one after allowing Najee Harris to leave in free agency. However, they are likely to fill a more pressing need (quarterback, defensive line, defensive backs) with their No. 21 overall pick, considering they don’t have their second-rounder.
The two most likely landing spots at the moment seem to be the Denver Broncos at No. 20 or the Minnesota Vikings at No. 24. There have been recent reports that the Broncos are trying to trade up, likely for Jeanty, but if they miss on him, Hampton seems like a shoo-in for head coach Sean Payton.
The Vikings have Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason, both of whom are solid pros. Hampton would really make the running back position a strength for them, though. Nonetheless, Denver seems like the most likely destination for Omarion Hampton at the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay on Thursday.
