The 2025 NFL Draft gets underway on Thursday evening with the first 32 picks. Rounds two and three will take place on Friday, with the draft concluding on Saturday afternoon with rounds 4-7.
North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton is trending in the first round in recent mock drafts, appearing as high as No. 12 to the Dallas Cowboys. Hampton has been mocked to the Denver Broncos at No. 20 the most, but has also been projected to the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 21st pick and the Minnesota Vikings at No. 24.
Six different Tar Heels were invited to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, and a double digit amount are hoping to realize a lifelong dream over the course of the next three days:
Omarion Hampton:
*Hampton finished his UNC career with 3,565 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns on 622 attempts
*In the passing game, Hampton recorded 73 career receptions for 635 yards and four touchdowns
*Hampton ranks fourth in North Carolina history in rushing yards and rushing attempts, and third all-time in rushing touchdowns
*He played in 38 career games for UNC and rushed for over 100 yards in 19 games, and reached the end zone on the ground in 20 contests.
*If selected in the first round, he would become just the fourth Tar Heel running back ever drafted in the opening round, and the first since Ethan Horton in 1985
*Hampton would become the first UNC running back drafted since 2021 when Ty Chandler was selected by the Minnesota Vikings
*If selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21 as some mock drafts have projected, he would be the first Tar Heel selected in the first round by the six-time Super Bowl Champions
*Hampton could be the eighth skill position player out of UNC selected in the first round
UNC NFL Draft:
*North Carolina has produced a total of 270 NFL draft picks in program history
*Its 270 draft picks are the 4th-most in ACC history
*Four different Tar Heels have been drafted second overall, the highest selection in school history. Julius Peppers was the most recent UNC player to be selected second overall in 2002
*UNC has had a draft pick for eight consecutive years
*The Tar Heels witnessed nine players drafted in 2011, the most in school history
*Since 2020, UNC has produced four draft selections at the running back position, and former ball carrier British Brooks earned his way onto the Houston Texans’ roster after signing as an undrafted free agent.
UNC Draft Selection by Position (Since 1965):
Linebacker: 33
Defensive Back: 24
Wide Receiver: 18
Defensive End: 19
Running Back: 20
Guard: 15
Defensive Tackle: 14
Offensive Tackle: 12
Tight End: 11
Quarterback: 7
Center: 4
Fullback: 3
Punter: 1
UNC First Round Picks:
*North Carolina has produced 25 first round picks, but just one since 2017 (Drake Maye, 2023, New England Patriots)
*The Tar Heels’ first first round pick was running back Ken Willard, who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1965
*Nine former first round picks from UNC have been selected to the Pro Bowl
*The Tar Heels’ first round picks have combined for 30 Pro Bowl nods
*North Carolina has produced four first round picks that have also won Super Bowls, combining for seven total Super Bowls
*Hampton would become just the fourth Tar Heel running back selected in the first round, and the first since Ethan Horton in 1985.
*Two first round picks out of UNC in Julius Peppers and Lawrence Taylor have been inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
*17 different teams have drafted a UNC player in the first round,
*The San Francisco 49ers have drafted three former Tar Heels in the first round, the most of any active franchise
*UNC had three first round picks in 1998, the most in school history
*Since the turn of the century, North Carolina has produced 12 first draft picks
*The Tar Heels’ have sent multiple first round picks to the NFL in 1981, 1998, 2002, and 2013.
*UNC’s longest time between first round selections was seven years from 2017 to 2024
UNC First Round Picks (Since 1965):
1965 | Ken Willard | RB | San Francisco 49ers
1971 | Don McCauley | RB | Baltimore Colts
1975 | Ken Huff | G | Baltimore Colts
1981 | Lawrence Taylor | LB | New York Giants
1981 | Donnell Thompson | DT | Baltimore Colts
1984 | Brian Blados | T/G | Cincinnati Bengals
1985 | Ethan Horton | TE/RB | Kansas City Chiefs
1987 | Harris Barton | T/G | San Francisco 49ers
1993 | Thomas Smith | DB | Buffalo Bills
1996 | Marcus Jones | DE/DT | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1998 | Greg Ellis | DE | Dallas Cowboys
1998 | Brian Simmons | LB | Cincinnati Bengals
1998 | Vonnie Holliday | DE/DT | Green Bay Packers
1999 | Ebenezer Ekuban | DE | Dallas Cowboys
2002 | Julius Peppers | DE | Carolina Panthers
2002 | Ryan Sims | DT | Kansas City Chiefs
2008 | Kentwan Balmer | DT | San Francisco 49ers
2009 | Hakeem Nicks | WR | New York Giants
2011 | Robert Quinn | DE | St. Louis Rams
2012 | Quinton Coples | DE | New York Jets
2013 | Jonathan Cooper | G | Arizona Cardinals
2013 | Sylvester Williams | DT | Denver Broncos
2014 | Eric Ebron | TE | Detroit Lions
2017 | Mitchell Trubisky | QB | Chicago Bears
2024 | Drake Maye | QB | New England Patriots
