NFL Draft Profile: Nick Hampton, Linebacker, Appalachian State Mountaineers
In this story:
#31
Pos: EDGE
Ht: 6022
Wt: 236
Hand: 0948
Arm: 3358
Wing: 8058
40: 4.58
DOB: 4/5/2000
Hometown: Anderson, SC
High School: Westside
Eligibility: 2023
Nick Hampton
Appalachian State Mountaineers
One-Liner:
A stringy pass rusher that does his best work as an upfield rusher, wreaking havoc on offenses from a two-point stance.
Evaluation:
Overdrawn limbs with length for days. Rare athleticism for an edge defender. Exhibits remarkable burst and speed off the edge. Agile and fluid lower body that keeps him clean en route to the quarterback. Pace scares tackles, leading to oversetting and inside tracks to the ball. Hand usage is impressive, swipes at initial placements and redirects before then can counter his move. Routinely beats tight ends across face, showing unmatched speed. Suitable tackler that shows discipline against the option game. Silky hips and length that permit him to drop into coverage. Does so easily, adding versatility to his resume. A constant motor will retrace and run down plays boundary to boundary. Slender frame for an edge defender. This leads to issues when faced with size and or power. Finds trouble against larger tackles who can enforce at the point of attack. Shows bend but a lack of ankle flexibility can leave him stranded at times. Works a variety of moves but size discrepancy prevents a bull rush from being one of them. Can be antsy pre-snap, multiple offside alignments. Hampton is a rare blend of length, speed, and motor. With the only sizeable issue being a lack of power and mass, if Hampton comes back with added lean tissue and the propensity to win engagements, look for his name to be one you hear a lot come the pre-draft process.
Grade:
2nd Round
Quotes:
App State has our top graded Sun Belt defender for 2023, OLB Nick Hampton (34” arms).
Jim Nagy, Director of Senior Bowl, Twitter.
Background:
Nick Hampton is returning to Appalachian State after a tremendous 2021 where he was All-Sun Belt first team and has seventeen and a half tackles for loss and eleven sacks. Entering 2022, Hampton has had a career of 19.5 sacks, which ranks twelfth in school history. From Anderson, South Carolina, he attended Westside High School and was a two-time All-Region and not only did he perform on the field but performed in the track and field world. Hampton is the son of Stanley and Mohema Hampton and has two siblings, Shaun and Dominic.
