Clemson Tigers Star Receives Major Honor With NFL Watching

Clemson Tigers cornerback Ashton Hampton has established himself as one of the top defensive backs — no, top defensive players — in the country at the perfect time.

Hampton is in his junior campaign at Clemson, and barring an unforeseen turn of events, he will be entering the NFL Draft at the conclusion of the season.

And at this point, Hampton is making himself a sure-fire first-round lock.

He continued his assault on opposing aerial attacks on Saturday, registering eight tackles, an interception and a couple of passes defended during the Tigers' win over Syracuse.

That earned Hampton ACC Defensive Back of the Week honors, the latest accolade Hampton has achieved this season.

On the campaign overall, the Tallahassee native has posted 35 tackles, three tackles for loss, a couple of picks and 12 passes defended. It has been a truly tremendous year for Hampton, and he is exhibiting superstar potential.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound star arrived at Clemson in 2024 and immediately received playing time right off the bat, recording 27 tackles, a couple of interceptions (including a pick-six) and five passes defended.

Then, last year, Hampton totaled 45 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, an interception and nine passes defended. He was actually probably the Tigers' best cornerback in 2025, but he was overshadowed by Avieon Terrell, who ended up getting selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the draft last April.

But Hampton is absolutely not a Day 2 pick.

At this point, Hampton is giving Notre Dame's Leonard Moore a run for his money as the top corner in the draft class, and if we're being honest with ourselves, Hampton has had a far superior season to Moore.

At the very least, Hampton should be the second cornerback to hear his name called this spring, and that's saying something considering how deep the class will be with names like Kelley Jones, Zabien Brown, Ellis Robinson IV and Vicari Swain all on the board.

The NFL is undoubtedly taking notice of Hampton, who possesses tremendous size, athleticism and savvy in coverage. He is also an impressive run-stopper.

Hampton is a do-it-all defensive back who has performed above expectations this season, and that's incredible consider the expectations for him were already lofty.

He still has three regular-season games remaining to further make his mark, and it starts with a matchup against Georgia Tech this weekend.