North Carolina Tar Heels running back Omarion Hampton was the nation’s third most productive running back in 2024 and has put up a stellar career at Chapel Hill. He projects as one of the top running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft, but the rusher isn’t getting all the adoration he deserves in mock drafts.

Omarion Hampton Mock Draft Projections

Hampton is being seriously overlooked in the 2025 NFL Draft class. All the attention has been spotlighted on Ashton Jeanty, who rightfully sits at the top of the 2025 running back rankings, but Hampton deserves more recognition and airtime than what he is getting.

Scouts and analysts have increasingly had the Tar Heel in first-round mock drafts as we have hit April, but many are still undervaluing his skill set.

At 6’0” and 220 pounds, the North Carolina rusher can do it all. Hampton is a thunderous runner who uses his dense frame to power through contact and fight for every yard. In short-yardage situations, he lowers his pad level to turn a one-yard loss into a three-yard gain.

Meanwhile, Hampton also has the creative vision, agile, twitchy movement, and awareness to make things happen when the play breaks down.

With 1,660 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in 2024, the Tar Heel was one of the top running backs in the nation, and with an additional 373 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 38 receptions, Hampton proved he is also an underutilized threat as a pass catcher as he set the single-season school record for scrimmage yards.

In most other drafts, Hampton would be gathering a lot more attention, and his outlook is one of the reasons he is ranked as the 13th overall prospect on CSN’s Top 300 NFL Draft Prospects Big Board.

However, running back isn’t considered a premium position, so his draft position is more questionable.

In CSN’s latest seven-round NFL mock draft, Hampton was drafted No. 20 overall to the Denver Broncos, an increasingly favorable selection among draft analysts. On the other hand, CSN’s three-round mock draft sees the UNC running back land with the Cleveland Browns with the first pick of the second round at No. 33 overall.

Hampton rarely escapes the top of the second round in most multi-round mock drafts, but his physical profile, production, and athleticism are worthy of being a higher-rated prospect than that range.

Omarion Hampton Shocks With Explosive Athletic Testing

Hampton’s NFL Draft projection is because of his overall skill set. But his surprising testing at the 2025 NFL Combine provided another string to his bow.

The former four-star recruit ran a blazing 4.46-second 40-yard dash in Indianapolis that is in the 84th percentile among combine participants since 1999. Meanwhile, Hampton also had an 86th percentile 38-inch vertical jump and his 10’10” broad jump ranked in the 96th percentile.

KEEP READING: Top 10 2025 NFL Draft RB Rankings: Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton Lead First-Round Talents

It meant that Hampton tested a lot better than many expected. He isn’t always going to beat you with elusive movement in a phone booth, but his intelligence, instincts, and natural strength profile project as a high-level starter at the next level.

Other Draft Projections for Omarion Hampton

CBS: No. 20 overall to the Broncos
PFSN: No. 12 overall to the Dallas Cowboys
NFL.com: No. 21 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers
NBC Sports: No. 29 to the Washington Commanders

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