This Clemson Tigers star has landed a jarring ranking for the 2027 NFL Draft.
The Clemson Tigers entered the 2026 college football season with a handful players capable of being first-round picks next April, and some of them have already increased their stock over the first few weeks of the campaign.
Cornerback Ashton Hampton is probably the most notable of the bunch.
Heading into Clemson's Week 5 matchup against Miami, Hampton had already established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the country, having posted 10 tackles, an interception and seven passes defended thus far.
The junior defender has been thoroughly dominant and clearly possesses superstar potential, and it's looking more and more like he will be a Day 1 pick next spring.
In fact, ESPN's Jordan Reid just compiled a list of his top 50 NFL Draft prospects for this year, and Hampton came in at No. 13.
Reid noted that Hampton — who is a very physical corner — would be an ideal fit for press man coverage schemes on the professional level.
Hampton was the second-ranked cornerback on Reid's list, only behind Notre Dame's Leonard Moore, who is widely viewed as a potential top-five pick.
Reid added that Hampton does need to be a bit more disciplined with his timing in coverage, but that is absolutely something Hampton can improve upon as he matures.
Hampton arrived at Clemson in 2024 and immediately made an impact during his freshman campaign, registering 27 tackles, a couple of picks (including a pick-six) and five passes defended.
Then, last season, Hampton recorded 45 tackles, three tackles for loss, an interception and nine passes defended. He may very well have been the Tigers' best corner in 2025, but he was living in the shadow of Avieon Terrell at the time.
Terrell ended up getting drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the middle of the second round this past year, but you get the feeling that Hampton will go much higher in 2027.
Hampton is part of a Clemson secondary that also includes rising talent Elliot Washington II, who came over from Penn State in the transfer portal and appears to be cementing his status as a potential Day 2 pick next April.
Safeties Corey Myrick and Jerome Carter III have also been very impressive for the Tigers, who have won three games in a row going into their clash against Miami.
Clemson's defense has been very stout in recent weeks, so we'll see if the Tigers can take down the heavily-favored Hurricanes on Saturday evening.
