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Should you draft Tetairoa McMillan or Omarion Hampton in 2025 dynasty fantasy football rookie drafts? Dave Ventresca breaks down the profiles for McMillan and Hampton.
While summer is here and typically means it’s time to relax and take vacations, dynasty fantasy football managers know there is no time to rest during the offseason. Rookie drafts are underway, and gamers are facing tough decisions with every pick.
Two of the top players available in dynasty rookie drafts this year are Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton. Both players have consistently been taken in the top five picks of rookie drafts. Each offers fantasy gamers immense upside, but which one should dynasty managers choose? Let’s take a few minutes to discuss.
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Should I Draft Tetairoa McMillan In Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Drafts?
McMillan was seen as one of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. He posted some very strong numbers during his final two seasons at the University of Arizona. The Carolina Panthers felt confident enough in McMillan to select him with the eighth overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Tetairoa McMillian is heading to North Carolina with the No. 8 pick 🤩
The Panthers add another WR 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jOpePsHbqi
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 25, 2025
He now gives quarterback Bryce Young a legitimate WR1 option. Despite some concerns about his game translating to the NFL, McMillan is a quality separator for a player his size. He also owns a trump-card trait with his contested catch ability.
Tetairoa McMillan makes an unreal catch 🤯 pic.twitter.com/N1vefUa4ft
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) November 5, 2023
While McMillan doesn’t possess ideal long speed, he is a good enough receiver to garner a high target share in Carolina’s offense and emerge as a potential WR1 play for dynasty managers.
Tetairoa McMillan Analytical Profile
Let’s do a quick evaluation of some of McMillan’s advanced metrics, courtesy of the folks at PFF. Among 133 collegiate receivers with 75+ targets in 2024, McMillan ranked:
12th in yards per route run (YPRR)
10th in PFF receiving grade
32nd in average depth of target (ADOT)
Third in missed tackles forced
Eighth in contested catches
31st in contested catch rate
Additionally, McMillan posted a 3.67 YPRR vs. man coverage and a 2.80 YPRR vs. zone coverage. These marks are both well above the 2.0 threshold we want to see from incoming rookies and bode well for McMillan’s outlook. He was fantastic against all coverage types and showcased an ability to win in contested catch situations. However you slice it, McMillan proved he is one of the top wide receiver prospects this year.
Tetairoa McMillan in Week 1:
➖10 Receptions
➖304 Yards
➖4 TD’sHe accomplished this with over 13 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter..
➖6’4
➖219 lbsIf you removed this game he STILL cleared 1,000+ Yards
He’s the ONLY WR in CFB with 1,300+ Yards in both 2023 and 2024.. pic.twitter.com/WNAZDqXPrt
— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) April 18, 2025
The main area of concern for McMillan is that he doesn’t possess great long speed and struggles to separate a bit on deeper routes. While that’s certainly a concern, McMillan’s frame should help him box out defenders and win contested catch situations on those deeper routes. He just doesn’t profile as a burner.
This lack of speed could hurt his fantasy football ceiling, but he can still emerge as a strong, high-volume, possession-type PPR receiver and eventually return WR1 production.
Long-Term Outlook
With first-round draft capital attached to his name, McMillan will be given every chance to succeed. The current regime in Carolina is only in its second season and felt confident enough to make McMillan its long-term WR1.
Head coach Dave Canales was able to get Bryce Young going in the second half of 2024. Should Young continue to develop, it would only mean good things for McMillan. While he enters the league as a solid separator, there are parts of McMillan’s game that need to be cleaned up. This could lead to subpar initial results before he gets his feet wet. We should then expect to see a boost in production during Year 2 or Year 3.
Should I Draft Tetairoa McMillan?
While Young showed some improvement over the second half of last year, there are still some lingering questions. Much of McMillan’s immediate dynasty future will likely be determined by Young’s play.
The good news is that Canales seemed to unlock a better version of Young to close the 2024 season. Hopefully, Young carries that momentum into 2025. This would be best for McMillan’s immediate and long-term dynasty outlook.
McMillan is worthy of a top-4 pick in single-quarterback leagues and is also in consideration for a top-5 selection in Superflex leagues. If your team needs a wide receiver, McMillan is a good player to target. Just realize he might take a few years to produce (similar to Drake London) and may not immediately return elite production.
Should I Draft Omarion Hampton In Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Drafts?
Hampton enjoyed a fine career at the University of North Carolina. As a sophomore in 2023, Hampton ran for 1,504 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. He followed that up in 2024 by rushing for 1,660 rushing yards to go along with another 15 rushing touchdowns.
Omarion Hampton’s college stats
Rushing:
2022 - 88 ATT / 401 YDS / 6 TD
2023 - 253 ATT / 1,504 YDS / 15 TD
2024 - 281 ATT / 1,660 YDS / 15 TDReceiving:
2022 - 6 REC / 40 YDS / 1 TD
2023 - 29 REC / 222 YDS / 1 TD
2024 - 38 REC / 373 YDS / 2 TD
pic.twitter.com/mFH7WnyjNh— ChargersMuse (@ChargersMuse) June 3, 2025
In the run-up to the 2025 NFL Draft, it was reported that several teams had Hampton neck and neck with Ashton Jeanty as the RB1 of the class. It’s easy to see why teams fell in love with his game. He brings a lot to the table and offers a rare blend of size and speed.
The Los Angeles Chargers certainly agreed and felt comfortable selecting Hampton with the 22nd overall pick in the NFL Draft. Hampton will have to battle veteran Najee Harris for touches to begin his NFL career, but he should eventually overtake the veteran and claim this backfield as his own.
First-round draft capital combined with an ideal landing spot in Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman’s run-first offense make Hampton a fine selection in rookie drafts. Dynasty gamers should feel comfortable taking him as high as the 1.02 if they feel so inclined.
Omarion Hampton Analytical Profile
Let’s do a quick evaluation of some of Hampton’s advanced metrics, courtesy of the folks at PFF. Among 154 collegiate backs with 100+ carries, Hampton finished:
T10th in PFF rushing grade
Sixth in missed tackles forced (MTF)
Second in yards after contact
12th in yards after contact per attempt
Fifth in breakaway yards
30th in breakaway yards percentage
15th in elusive rating
Hampton crushed it across the board, and he is a flat-out stud. He can make people miss in open space, is tough to bring down, and with a 4.46 40-yard dash speed, he is also a big-play threat.
Omarion Hampton Ranked in the 97th Percentile in Yards After Contact Per Attempt (4.3)
➖Age: 21 (Early Declare)
➖Size: 6’0, 220 lbsHampton’s Averages over the last 2 Seasons:
➖24 Touches Per Game
➖150.4 Yards Per Game
➖1.32 TD’s Per GameFuture Workhorse RB1 in the NFL pic.twitter.com/Dfd8kA8zIi
— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) January 29, 2025
There isn’t much that Hampton can’t do, and it’s easy to see why Los Angeles drafted him in the first round. From an analytical standpoint, there is very little to worry about Hampton’s game translating to the NFL.
Long-Term Outlook
As a first-round pick, Hampton should receive plenty of opportunities to succeed. The Chargers drafted him with the intent that he would eventually be their three-down bell-cow back. It shouldn’t be too long before he’s given that chance.
Los Angeles signed former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris this offseason. Harris did not meet expectations during his time in Pittsburgh. However, he was not as bad as some dynasty gamers like to think, and he is a reliable veteran back. He will likely begin the 2025 season as Los Angeles's starter. As a result, Hampton will be stuck in some type of committee with Harris to begin the year.
While that is all true, Los Angeles only signed Harris to a one-year deal. That and the selection of Hampton suggest Harris is not in the team’s long-term plans. While Harris has been an underrated player, he’s not the same caliber of running back that Hampton is. Harris will not stand in the way of Hampton eventually taking over this backfield. When he does, look out for some monster weeks.
Should I Draft Omarion Hampton?
There’s not much to dislike about Hampton’s profile. He does need to clean up some things in terms of pass protection, but the Chargers coaching staff should prove helpful in this regard.
Hampton is likely to cede touches to Harris to begin his rookie campaign. This could mean gamers have to wait a little longer than they’d prefer to see big results. Hampton may take on a Jonathan Taylor-type trajectory where he is slow out of the gates only to close the season as the team’s unheralded RB1. There’s also the possibility that Hampton completely blows away the Chargers coaching staff in training camp, and they opt to immediately start him over Harris.
Either way, Hampton is the second-best pick at running back in this rookie class. He is an uber-athletic, highly talented player who landed in an ideal situation.
If you need a running back, Hampton is a fantastic pick and should be among the first three players elected in all rookie drafts, regardless of format.
Should I Draft Tetairoa McMillan or Omarion Hampton?
Look, both McMillan and Hampton are great options. It’s hard to go wrong either way here.
In a vacuum, Hampton would be the preferred pick. He offers the highest ceiling due to his three-down nature and the historical production/advantage managers get from rostering an elite running back.
However, it’s certainly understandable if a wide receiver-needy owner were to select McMillan. He has his flaws, but is a relatively safe pick and should be Carolina’s top target earner for several years.
Ultimately, this call comes down to individual team needs. If you need a running back, take Hampton. If you need a receiver, go to McMillan.
However, if you’re fortunate enough to have a loaded roster, then Hampton is the preferred play.
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