The Baltimore Ravens have one of the best defenses in the NFL. They are fourth in points, fifth in yards, first in yards per play, seventh in takeaways, and sixth in passing yards allowed this season.
Second-year defensive back/safety Kyle Hamilton deserves a ton of credit. Baltimore found a gem in Hamilton during the 2022 draft.
The Baltimore Ravens defender played college football at Notre Dame.
Kyle Hamilton committed to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the 2019 season. He appeared in every game and made one start, recording 41 tackles, one for loss, four interceptions, one pick-six, and six pass deflections. He was named to the 2019 Freshman All-American Team by USA Today, The Athletic, and the FWAA.
He started every game during his second season, recording 63 tackles, 4.5 for loss, one interception, and six pass deflections. He was named to the 2020 All-ACC First Team, AP All-American Third Team, and The Athletic All-American Second Team.
He was limited to seven games during his third season, recording 34 tackles, two for loss, three interceptions, and four pass deflections. He missed six games due to a knee injury. He was named to the 2021 FWAA First Team All-American, AP Second Team All-American, and AFCA All-American First Team. You can access his honors and awards here.
Kyle Hamilton declared for the 2022 draft.
Hamilton didn’t have the greatest combine.
Many people had him drafted in the top five in their mock drafts before the combine. He didn’t have the best performance at the combine. One metric that negatively stood out by scouts was the 40-yard dash. There were rumors of him potentially running in the 4.4 range. He ran a 4.59 40-yard dash, tied for the worst at the safety position that year.
The 2022 draft.
The Baltimore Ravens drafted Kyle Hamilton in the 1st round, 14th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Hamilton’s rookie season.
He opened his rookie season as the backup safety to Chuck Clark but eventually took over the nickelback position in Week 8. He appeared in 16 games and made four starts, recording 62 tackles, four for loss, two sacks, five pass deflections, and one forced fumble with an 82.3 PFF Grade.
He had nine tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in their Wild Card round of the playoffs.
Hamilton’s second season.
The Ravens traded Chuck Clark to the Jets in exchange for a 2024 7th-round pick. Trading Clark meant Hamilton would take over as the starting strong safety for the 2023 season, joining Marcus Williams as the other starter.
He has 62 tackles, eight for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, one pick-six, nine pass deflections, and one forced fumble with an 82.3 PFF Grade thus far.
Baltimore will likely win the AFC North this season. If their defense continues to perform well, they could make a deep playoff run.
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