Saquan Hampton

Saquan Hampton (born December 12, 1995) is an American football safety for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL).[1] He played college football at Rutgers.

Saquan Hampton
No. 29 – New York Jets
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (1995-12-12) December 12, 1995
Hamilton Township, New Jersey
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:206 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:Nottingham (NJ)
College:Rutgers
NFL Draft:2019 / Round: 6 / Pick: 177
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Total tackles:1
Forced fumbles:0
Fumble recoveries:0
Interceptions:0
Pass deflections:0
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Raised in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, Hampton attended Nottingham High School, where he was named New Jersey First Team All-Group IV, First Team All-South Jersey, and First Team All-Colonial Valley Conference honors after registering 17 tackles, 4 interceptions, averaging more than 38 yards per kickoff return, 13 yards per punt return on defense his senior season. He was named the Delaware Valley's Player of the Year by the 12th Man Touchdown Club Dinner.[2] He was a key member of the school's Central Jersey Group III championship as a junior.

Rivals rated Hampton, a consensus three-star recruit, its 23rd-best prospect. He committed to Rutgers on National Signing Day in 2014 citing his desire to stay close to home.[3]

College career

Hampton attended Rutgers University, where he majored in labor and employment relations. In 2018, Hampton tied for the Big Ten Conference lead in passes defended by safeties, including three interceptions, two of which came in week 9 against Wisconsin. Combined with his ten tackles that game, he was named Reese's Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week. Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy pointed out:

"The first thing that will catch scouts’ attention is that Hampton has a background at cornerback, which is important in the sense that he has more experience in man coverage, even if it’s just at the high school level, than most safety prospects.

The attribute that showed up most in the game against the Badgers was his ball skills.  During our tape study, we liked him the most when the ball was in the air. On both his two picks last Saturday, one when he drove on an out route and another where he undercut a corner route, Hampton looked really natural playing the ball.  

The other aspect of Hampton’s game that stood out last week was his deep field instincts.  Scouts determine where to project safeties, either free or strong, based on where they look most natural playing and Hampton looks most comfortable in the middle of the field.  Some guys have a feel for routes and Hampton consistently put himself in the position to make plays."[4]

On November 27, 2018, Hampton was named unanimous All-Big Ten Honorable Mention by coaches and media.[5] He was awarded the 2018 Homer Hazel Award as Rutgers' team MVP.[6]

Professional career

In the lead-up to the 2019 NFL Draft, Hampton accepted an invitation to the East-West Shrine Game.[7] He was also invited to participate in the 2019 NFL Draft Combine.[8]

Following the week of the Shrine Game, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller included Hampton among the "2019 NFL Draft's Biggest Winners from NFLPA Bowl, Shrine Game Weeks," noting, "He's a hitter with a fierce mentality and has the athleticism and size to become an NFL contributor."[9]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand size40-yard dashBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 1 1⁄4 in
(1.86 m)		 206 lb
(93 kg)		 31 5⁄8 in
(0.80 m)		 8 5⁄8 in
(0.22 m)		4.48 s10 ft 5 in
(3.18 m)		14 reps
All values are from NFL Scouting Combine[10]

New Orleans Saints

Hampton was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round (177th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft.[11] He played in five games before being placed on injured reserve on December 17, 2019.[12]

Hampton was waived/injured by the Saints during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020,[13] and subsequently reverted to the team's injured reserve list the next day.[14] He was waived with an injury settlement on September 14.[15]

New York Jets

On November 3, 2020, Hampton was signed to the New York Jets practice squad.[16] He was promoted to the active roster on December 12, 2020.[17] On December 16, 2020, Hampton was placed on injured reserve.[18]

References
  1. "Rutgers Football Names Team Captains". On the Banks. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  2. "Football Roster - Rutgers University". Rutgers University. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  3. "UPDATED WITH VIDEO: Saquan Hampton of Nottingham signs to play football at Rutgers on National Signing Day". NJ.com. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  4. "Press Releases : News : Reese's Senior Bowl". www.seniorbowl.com. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  5. "Big Ten Conference" (PDF). bigten.org. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  6. "Rutgers football names 2018 team MVP: Who is it? Plus other awards". nj.com. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  7. "East Roster | Shrine Game". www.shrinegame.com. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  8. "Saquan Hampton earns invite to NFL Combine and Shrine Game". ScarletNation.com. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  9. Miller, Matt. "2019 NFL Draft's Biggest Winners from NFLPA Bowl, Shrine Game Weeks". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  10. "NFL Draft & Combine Profile - Saquan Hampton". www.nfl.com. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  11. "Saints select Saquan Hampton with the 177th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft". New Orleans Saints. April 27, 2019.
  12. "Saints place rookie safety Saquan Hampton on injured reserve". NOLA.com. December 17, 2019.
  13. "Saints announce 53-man roster reductions for 2020". NewOrleansSaints.com. September 5, 2020.
  14. "Saints' Saquan Hampton: Hits injured reserve". CBSSports.com. September 6, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  15. "Saquan Hampton: Reaches injury settlement". CBSSports.com. September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  16. Greenberg, Ethan (November 3, 2020). "Jets Sign LB Bryce Hager, S Bennett Jackson to Active Roster; Release OL Jimmy Murray". NewYorkJets.com.
  17. Greenberg, Ethan (December 12, 2020). "Jets Activate CB Bless Austin, TE Trevon Wesco from Injured Reserve; Place 3 on IR". NewYorkJets.com.
  18. Greenberg, Ethan (December 16, 2020). "Jets Place OLB Jordan Jenkins, S Saquan Hampton on Injured Reserve". NewYorkJets.com.
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