Rams pick 161 … Hampton, LB

BACKGROUND: Nicholas “Nick” Hampton, who is one of three children, attended Westside High School in Anderson County, where he was a three-year letterman at edge rusher. As a junior in 2016, Hampton helped Westside to a 10-win season and posted 63 tackles, 15.0 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks. He earned All-Region and All-Area honors for the second straight season as a senior and finished with a team-best 81 tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks and two forced fumbles. Hampton also lettered in track (relays and jumps) and won a regional championship in the high jump (6 feet 0 inches) as a senior. He also set personal bests in the long jump (21-4) and triple jump (44-10). A two-star, Hampton was the No. 104 strongside defensive end in the 2018 recruiting class and the No. 46 recruit in South Carolina. At just 210 pounds out of high school, he went underrecruited by ACC and SEC programs. Hampton received several FCS offers (Charleston Southern, Elon, The Citadel and Wofford), then Appalachian State, Georgia State and Miami (Ohio) officially offered prior to his senior season. Two months after head coach Scott Satterfield offered, Hampton
committed to Appalachian State. He accepted his invitation to the 2023 Senior Bowl.

YEAR (GP/GS) TKLS TFL SACK FF PD INT NOTES
2018: (3/0) 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 Redshirted
2019: (14/1) 24 6.5 5.5 2 0 0
2020: (10/6) 42 6.5 3.0 1 1 0 Missed two games
2021: (14/13) 68 17.5 11.0 0 2 0 First Team All-SBC; Led team in sacks
2022: (9/9) 39 9.5 7.0 3 1 0 First Team All-SBC; Led team in FFs, TFL, sacks; Team captain; Missed three games (injury)
Total: (50/29) 175 40.0 26.5 6 4 0

HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP
COMBINE 6022 236 33 5/8 9 1/2 80 5/8 4.58 2.61 1.55 35 1/2 10’0” – – – (no shuttle, 3-cone, bench – right toe)
PRO DAY 6023 239 33 9 1/2 81 – – – – – – – – (no testing – right toe)

STRENGTHS: Explosive first step, and his race to the corner can get tackles off balance … instinctive snap anticipation and rarely loses sight of the football … displays the lower-body flexibility to bend and make sharp cuts in his pass rush … nimble, efficient looper … allows his length to work for him with a forceful long-arm move … uses forward lean to access speed-to-power opportunities and free himself from blocks … outstanding pursuit from the backside … experienced peeling off and defending zones … improved weight transfer as a tackler in 2022 boosted his finishing batting average … voted a senior captain … above-average backfield production and his 11.0 sacks in 2021 was the most for an Appalachian State player since the school moved up to the FBS.

WEAKNESSES: Introduced new rush moves into his latest album, but he reverts back to the predictable hits, relying on speed and length … lean lower body and doesn’t have the frame to carry much more bulk … struggles to shake free once blockers get into his chest … counters aren’t NFL-ready … inconsistent edge setter and can be washed or pushed around by base ends … doesn’t have the point-of-attack skills to reduce head up over the tackle or further inside … bull rush will learn about NFL resistance very quickly … too reactive in drops with inconsistent coverage angles … missed three games as a senior because of injury (October 2022).

SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Appalachian State, Hampton played the “Dog” stand-up edge rusher position in former defensive coordinator Dale Jones’ 3-4 base scheme. He put his name on the NFL radar as a junior and had an impressive two-year finish for the Mountaineers with 27.0 tackles for loss and 18.0 sacks in 23 games. Hampton diagnoses well versus the run and is always in chase mode, frequently making tackles on the opposite side of the field from where he started. His bread and butter is his ability to force the quarterback to move his feet, although he needs to continue maturing his rush sequence beyond just speed and reach. Overall, there are holes in Hampton’s game that likely will keep him from finding an every-down NFL role, but his physical tools as a pass rusher pop off the screen and lead to backfield production. His best fit might be as a sub-rusher in the mold of Josh Uche.

GRADE: 3rd-4th Round