Each year I do a deep dive on mid-late round prospects and find some “my guys”. These are players I expect to go on Day 3 of the draft (rounds 4-7), with the capability of being a solid NFL player, and “steal”, for the team that drafts them. In this edition of the 2024 “Steal” prospects, I will be covering Dominique Hampton, a Safety out of the University of Washington.
Name: Dominique Hampton
Position: S
School: University of Washington
Height: 6023
Weight: 215
Hand: 10″
Wingspan: 33 1/4″
Introduction: Hampton, a six-year player at Washington, broke the record for most games played by a Husky with 56. Despite the track record and his physical style of play. he’s remained very healthy with just one game missed due to injury. In his most recent season, he led the Huskies in total tackles with 109, logged the only two INT’s of his career, had 4 games of 10+ tackles, and was named Honorable Mention all Pac-12.
Strengths:
- Tested well at the combine, 4.51 40-yard dash, 39″ vertical jump, 10′ 2″ broad jump
- Physical in man coverage, tough at the line of scrimmage and forces pass catchers to fight hard through him
- A thumper-tackler, has some highlight reel hits that really showed off a physical playstyle
- Downhill acceleration is noticeable, gave great run support
- Hip fluidity and great coverage eyes allowed him to play freely in deep zones
- Physical traits give a lot to work with, long arms, big hands, and a 6-foot-7 wingspan
Areas For Improvement:
- Tackling angles can be questionable, let a few ones slip away from him
- Ball production leaves a little to be desired, just the 2 INT’s in six seasons
- Struggled breaking free from blocks occasionally
- Drops head on contact
Draft Projection: Round 4
Outlook: I’ve mentioned in some of my other posts that Day 3 of the NFL Draft is where teams look for guys with certain traits that they feel are worth taking a shot on. Despite some questionable things on film, Hampton shows a lot to work with, and I feel like teams will recognize that. I mentioned he plays very physical, although that might be an understatement. On film, he shows not just a want, but a need for contact, and has a great motor (in the Washington vs. Cal game, he ran full speed as a blocker when his teammates got a few INT’s, looking for people the entire time) throughout each play. He has the play attitude that I’m sure coaches will fall in love with, and I believe he is/will do great in interviews.
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