This 22-year-old doesn’t need to wait until April 24th to know he belongs to the pro league. The bruising North Carolina Tar Heels running back just wrapped up a collegiate career that saw him pound out over 3,100 rushing yards across his last two seasons—1,504 in 2023, followed by a career-best 1,660 yards in 2024. Add in 30 touchdowns over that stretch—split cleanly with 15 apiece—and you’ve got the kind of résumé that doesn’t wait around long in the NFL Draft green room. And that resume belongs to Omarion Hampton. He is no longer the under-the-radar bruiser from UNC. He is a certified top-tier prospect—and the league is starting to take serious notice.

The buzz has been growing louder with every rep, and now it’s more like a roar. While Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty still commands the No. 1 spot on most draft boards, Hampton has been gaining steam like a freight train. FOX Sports insider Jordan Schultz lit the fire with a recent update, noting that Hampton “continues to skyrocket up draft boards.” One executive went so far as to compare the Jeanty-Hampton pairing to the Bijan Robinson–Jahmyr Gibbs class of 2023, saying both backs will go ‘very early.’ That’s rare air for any RB class, but especially so in an era where franchises have been increasingly hesitant to invest premium picks at the position.

That said, context matters—and when you run with the kind of blend of vision, balance, and toughness Omarion Hampton puts on tape, it’s hard to ignore. Not everday a 220-pound RB runs a 4.46 Combine 40-yard dash. He doesn’t just run through contact—he absorbs it, adjusts mid-stride, and keeps his pads square while churning out extra yards. His footwork is nimble, his hips stay low, and his downhill style makes defenders pay on second-level collisions. When Jerry Jones brings an RB in for a look, the speculation isn’t just noise—it’s smoke from an engine already warming up. Hampton visited one of the league’s most RB-needy teams, the Dallas Cowboys, on Friday, part of their Top 30 invite list. It wasn’t his first private workout, and it won’t be his last. Multiple teams are lining up for meetings. The ground game may have lost a bit of luster in the pass-heavy NFL, but top-tier talent always finds a home.

The numbers suggest Hampton’s leap to the next level could mirror what Robinson and Gibbs managed in their rookie campaigns. Both 2023 first-rounders cracked the top five in rushing last season—Robinson finished third with 1,456 yards while Gibbs trailed close behind at fifth with 1,412. Their early returns validated the risk of selecting an RB early, especially when that back can make an immediate impact as a three-down weapon. Omarion Hampton offers similar versatility. While Jeanty may edge him out as a pass-catcher, Hampton has shown steady improvement in his hands and blitz pickup—traits that will matter in year one.

The pressure now shifts to the draft board. If Schultz’s reporting holds up and “both backs are expected to go early,” then it’ll take a serious investment from a team looking to fix its backfield. One exec told Schultz that “Dallas would have to use pick No. 12 on Hampton” if they wanted to lock him in. For a front office that’s watched the running back carousel spin wildly since Ezekiel Elliott’s exit, the appeal of locking down a bell cow might just outweigh the premium cost. Especially when that bell cow checks every box—from workhorse load management to explosive chunk runs that flip field position.

Although Field Yates pits him slightly ‘late’ with this certain $5.5B AFC franchise. April 24 will provide clarity. Until then, the pre-draft process will continue to peel back the layers on Omarion Hampton—the quiet killer from Chapel Hill who’s now walking into every meeting like a man who knows he belongs. He’s gone from a maybe to a must-get, and his tape tells the same story as the whispers coming from league war rooms.

Broncos eye Saquon 2.0 in Omarion Hampton

Things are heating up fast for Omarion Hampton—and not just because of his blazing runs. During Wednesday’s SportsCenter special covering Field Yates’ 4.0 NFL Mock Draft, the UNC running back was projected to go No. 20 overall to none other than Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos. And let’s just say the hype train is leaving the station at full speed.

Hampton, who surpassed the 1,500-yard rushing mark not once but twice, has become one of the most intriguing names in the 2025 class. While his highlights rolled, SportsCenter host Kevin Negandhi couldn’t help but gush: “Just take a look at the hamstrings and the quads. My goodness, it looks like you’re watching Saquon [Barkley], a young one.”

And that wasn’t the only love. Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. dropped the ultimate compliment: “This is a plug-and-play running back who could be one of the Rookie of the Year candidates… He can run, he can catch and he can block that last line of defense for Bo Nix. I think Omarion Hampton can handle that responsibility.” From Chapel Hill to Mile High?