Omarion Hampton, North Carolina: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Hampton was a four-star recruit from Cleveland High School in Clayton, N.C. in the class of 2022

Omarion Hampton is my second-highest-graded running back in the 2025 NFL Draft, narrowly ahead of Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson. Hampton’s combination of power and explosiveness is the best mixture for a running back in this class not named Ashton Jeanty.

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Omarion Hampton, RB North Carolina: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior running back from Clayton, N.C.

Background: Hampton was a four-star recruit from Cleveland High School in Clayton, N.C. in the class of 2022. He was the No. 134 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 108 for Rivals, and No. 141 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 181st in the nation with an 82 grade out of 100. Hampton rushed for 5,370 yards and 88 touchdowns in high school while averaging 10.4 yards per carry and 127.8 yards per game. He also made 28 receptions for 503 yards and eight touchdowns. Hampton was a team captain as a senior and rushed for 1,948 yards and 39 touchdowns on 161 carries. He added 11 receptions for 272 yards and three touchdowns along with several kick and punt returns (including a punt return touchdown). Hampton also contributed 19 tackles, including six tackles for loss, on defense. He was chosen as the 2021-22 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year in football. Hampton picked up additional accolades, including The Charlotte Observer’s Mr. Football for North Carolina and the Arnold R. Solomon Award (given to the North Carolina Player of the Year). He earned All-State, Academic All-Conference, and All-Conference Player of the Year honors twice each. As a junior, Hampton rushed for 685 yards and 13 touchdowns on 58 carries and caught three passes for 26 yards and a touchdown. He also returned two kicks for 124 yards and a touchdown and nine punts for 220 yards. As a sophomore, Hampton amassed 2,402 yards and 35 touchdowns on 250 carries and 14 receptions for 205 yards and four touchdowns. He carried the ball 48 times for 334 yards and a touchdown as a freshman. Hampton also competed in basketball and track and field for Cleveland. His brother, Jamal, played cornerback at Chowan University, and his cousin, Giorgio Lowrance, played wide receiver at North Carolina A&T. Hampton was born on March 16, 2003.

Injuries & Off-Field: Suffered a broken ankle as a high school junior

Awards: 2023 First Team All-ACC, 2023 Second Team All-American (Associated Press), 2023 First Team All-American (Walter Camp), 2024 First Team All-ACC, 2024 Second Team All-American (Associated Press), 2024 First Team All-American (AFCA)

Pros: Some experience returning kicks for UNC, cut back on fumbles in 2024, muscular build and excellent frame, proven workhorse, good explosiveness, motor, power to break tackles in the backfield and turn negative plays into positive gains, balance and power to excel between the tackles, lowers pad level and shoulder in the gap, drops his shoulder in the hole, gets skinny to slip through small holes, excellent lower body contact balance, churns legs through contact and finishes falling forward, moves the pile, drags LBs and DBs for extra yards, gets North-South quickly, when patient behind the line he can make some sharp cuts, vision reveals cutback opportunities, dead leg, sharp one-cuts to make defenders miss in space, quick to accelerate and reach a nice pace, burst to punish DBs who take bad angles, good top speed at his size, heavy hitter in pass pro, squares up to block in pass pro, excellent physicality and willingness to chip block, makes hands catches outside his frame, gives the QB a receiving option when play breaks down

Cons: Limited special teams versatility, fumbled five times combined in 2022 and 2023, appears somewhat thin around the waist, some overeagerness leads to him pinballing off linemen, lacks creativity behind the line, vision is hit or miss, misses opportunities to bounce runs off-tackle, lacks the speed to win the corner consistently, good but not great acceleration, tight hips limit explosiveness on jump cuts, he struggles to make sharp cuts at full speed, limited wiggle and elusiveness, not twitchy and lacking ideal stop-start agility, takes too long to decelerate from top speed, too many reps tackled immediately at LOS, cut down by defenders going low, stiff arms miss the mark, limited route tree, doesn’t shake man coverage LBs on routes, inconsistent sustaining blocks, needs to use hands to frame and maintain blocks better

Overview: Hampton is a thick, muscular running back with an excellent frame. He carries his weight well and is strong and durable enough to operate as a workhorse at the next level. Hampton is a high motor prospect who is always looking to generate extra yards. His contact balance makes him incredibly difficult to bring down one-on-one. He survives contact in the backfield to avoid negative plays and churn out tough yardage. Despite his size, Hampton gets skinny enough to slip through small holes. Hampton is an ideal between-the-tackles runner who lowers his shoulder to meet defenders in the gap. He buries second and third level defenders and keeps on running but sometimes gets cut down by low tackle attempts for limited gain. The North Carolina native has excellent lower body contact balance and churns his legs through contact to break tackles or finish plays falling forward. He drags linebackers and cornerbacks one-on-one in space and moves the pile in short yardage situations. Hampton doesn’t waste time behind the line of scrimmage. He gets downhill quickly, but this overeagerness sometimes leads to him running into the backs of his linemen and aimlessly bouncing around in muddy boxes. When he runs with patience, Hampton makes sharp cuts and accelerates quickly to fire through gaps as a one-cut option. His vision is only average but still reveals cutback opportunities. The All-American is an explosive athlete but lacks the straight line speed and vision to consistently find off-tackle runs and beat defenders to the corner. His long speed isn’t elite, but he’s got more than enough juice to out-leverage the defense’s first two levels. Hampton punishes defensive backs who take poor angles in their run fits and reaches a nice top speed at his size. He isn’t a twitchy athlete and lacks ideal stop-start agility because he's tight and somewhat thin around his waist. This limits his lateral explosiveness and impacts his ability to cover ground on jump cuts. He makes sharp cuts in open space to make defenders miss but struggles to cut at dynamic angles or decelerate from his full speed. Hampton offers limited elusiveness in space but uses a dead leg. He’s excellent in pass protection and blocks with terrific form and physicality. Hampton makes catches outside his frame but lacks a developed route tree and pass catching experience.

Overall, Hampton has a muscular build and natural power to battle for extra yards between the tackles, but he executes more sharp cuts and reaches a greater top speed than many power running backs. His vision and mostly stiff lower half limit his creativity and ability to produce dynamic plays. Hampton offers three-down value because of his work in pass protection.

Role & Scheme Fit: Running back in an inside zone scheme

Round Grade: Mid Second to Early Third Round

Size: 5'11 3/4", 221 lbs. (NFL Combine)

Submitted: 09-06-24

Updated: 04-12-25