Kyle Hamilton NFL Draft Profile
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Kyle Hamilton Scouting ReportFor a safety of his size, you might expect some trade-off in athletic ability. However, there is none. Hamilton is as athletic as they come. He demonstrates excellent play speed, has incredible fluidity of movement enabling tremendous change of direction, and contains impressive short-area explosion. Hamilton’s athletic profile ensures he can cover the entire field. As a result, he has been used in multiple alignments for the Fighting Irish. His versatility will prove invaluable ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft. Hamilton can play single-high and two-high safety; he has played in the slot and unleashed on blitz plays. His imposing build allows him to play with extreme physicality in the box. This brings me nicely to the final element of his game. Hamilton is an exceptional tackler. He often demonstrates incredible brute force combined with excellent tackling form. His early tape shows some examples of over-zealousness (resulting in overshooting his target), but that appears to have been eliminated mainly during his sophomore season. He appears to be a highly academic, high-character player who offers no off-field issues away from the field. Between character and skill set, Hamilton projects to be an early first-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, with the potential to be one of the best in the class. |
Areas for ImprovementHe is very disruptive at all levels of the field, and his versatile experience will be enticing, but a lot of teams will see more tweener traits than versatile ability. Not an explosive player and needs to show better bend and flexibility in his drops, can play too high. |
Kyle Hamilton Career at Notre DameWhile most players require adjustment when transitioning to the college level, Hamilton immediately impacted the Fighting Irish. Although he is only credited with one start — against USC — he played in 13 games during 2019. During his debut against Louisville, Hamilton demonstrated his exceptional coverage skills, breaking up 2 passes while flashing his tackling acumen with 4 tackles. On his first defensive snap inside Notre Dame Stadium, he secured his first career interception against New Mexico. Following a tipped pass, Hamilton plucked the ball out of the air and returned it for a touchdown. Although further interceptions would come against Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Boston College, that first one remains his only touchdown to date. With 41 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 4 interceptions, and 6 pass deflections, Hamilton emerged as one of the key contributors for the Fighting Irish as a true freshman. As a result, he earned Freshman All-American honors from The Athletic. Furthermore, his name appeared on multiple preseason watchlists and awards as Hamilton geared up for his sophomore season. |
Kyle Hamilton NFL Draft Player ProfileCan Hamilton be the first safety selected in the top 10 of the NFL Draft since 2017? Everything that I’ve seen so far points to that scenario. Furthermore, I would go as far as to say he is one of the best players in the 2022 NFL Draft class regardless of position. Let’s dig into his scouting report to discover why. Hamilton has uncommon size for the safety position. At 6’4″ and 219 pounds, he is a physical specimen. There are linebackers playing the game that don’t possess the same size as the Notre Dame safety. As a result, Hamilton has elite length. Both his height and length make him a difficult proposition to throw against. With that coverage radius, he can get his hands up to snag the ball out of the air. Additionally, he can reach around opposition receivers to disrupt the ball, knocking it away from their grasp. |
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