The 2022 NFL draft is a contentious one. There is no agreement on who the best player is. There’s no agreement on who should go number one, let alone who the first three picks should be. There’s very little agreement on — well, anything. The class is being compared to the notorious draft of 2013, a class that was universally deep but lacked the premier talent that teams at the top of the first round.
There is an overwhelming sentiment that people do agree on. Nobody disagrees on two things regarding Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton.
First, Hamilton is the best safety in the draft. Second, he is going to be an excellent defensive player in the league.
There is plenty of debate over the value of a safety in today’s league and even more so on at what point does it become appropriate to select one at the top of the draft. That debate has little to do with Hamilton though and far more to do with the structure of today’s NFL.
The 2013 NFL Draft.
I remember liking the Justin Pugh pick for the Giants. Pugh was better when he moved from tackle to guard.
The best pick: DeAndre Hopkins at 27. Lane Johnson at 4 worked out for the Eagles. 1 QB taken in the first round, and he was a bust. pic.twitter.com/T2m4KHNX3x
— Doug Rush (@TheDougRush) February 21, 2022
For a draft with so much debate there is almost little of it around the 2021 consensus All-American. Hamilton comes off a 2021 campaign that featured a Notre Dame appearance in the New Years’ Six Fiesta Bowl and 34 total tackles with 3 turnovers forced while captaining the defense. Oh, he also helped launch a Notre Dame players podcast with Colin Cowherd entitled “Inside the Garage.”
All in a day’s work for a player who doesn’t turn 21 until March 16th.
ITG is 🔙
Kyle’s in LA training for the Draft and ducking the South Bend winter, Conor’s waiting for his car to warm up, Cam’s planning a crazy Eurotrip, and KJ’s looking for a new golf coach ⛳️
Tune in to the return: https://t.co/hdXXX4LTPU pic.twitter.com/BQFYs3Fck3
— InsideTheGarage (@ITGPodcast_) January 17, 2022
It has been quite the football journey for Hamilton since he was born in Greece in 2001. His father was a professional basketball player for Iraklio and when they finally came back to the states Hamilton found himself in the college football capital of the country: Atlanta, Georgia. In a transit city that employs many graduates of SEC & ACC school and largely cherishes its Saturdays far more than its Sundays, Hamilton was a star at Marist high school.
Yes, that is also the same Atlanta high school that produced NFL darling and Super Bowl winning head coach Sean McVay. It’s a winning tradition. From there he built a reputation as a four-star talent and a Top 100 prospect according to Rivals and chose the Fighting Irish. From one winning tradition to another storied one.
Ryan Roberts, director of recruiting at IrishBreakdown.com, spoke with the Texans Wire on the most popularly mocked prospect to Houston. Roberts is needless to say a huge fan
There’s only one player in the 2022 NFL Draft class that has an argument for the “generational label”… and that’s Kyle Hamilton (Notre Dame).
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) February 9, 2022
After following Hamilton’s path from Marist to Notre Dame, he found the process to be rather interesting, to say the least.
“Hamilton has a pretty strange recruiting background. He had a massive growth spurt going into his junior year so his ranking was a little lower for a decent amount of time. At one point going into his senior season, there was a recruiting platform that still had him rated as a three star.”
At Notre Dame his talents severely took off. After taking over a starting safety spot in 2020, Hamilton was first-team All-ACC with 63 total tackles and six passes defended before his eventual All-American season in 2021. It isn’t an overstatement to say that Hamilton transformed into college football’s premier defensive back.
Hamilton represents the unicorn of the draft at 6-4, 220 pounds and is a potential no-brainer addition for Nick Caserio at third overall in the draft. He would instantly be the most talented player on the defense and could fill in perfectly in a variety of roles for new head coach Lovie Smith’s Tampa 2 defense.
When asked about how Hamilton’s game would project to the next level, Roberts forecasted a number of roles. Specifically, he believes that Hamilton would operate best in a two-safety defense similar to the one employed by Smith.
“Hamilton can play in a heavy 1/3 system that employs him as a free safety but I’d rather see him in a two high system that can rotate him down or on the roof at points. Don’t limit this type of athlete. There are no concerns for me personally. Hamilton is the only player who could argue as a generational type player. There aren’t 6’4” 220 pound safeties walking around much historically. He’s a unicorn.”
Hamilton has the athleticism to come down and help linebackers clean up plays in the run game with the simultaneous range to patrol the back end of the field and kill the deep ball. He’d represent an “eraser” for any other holes in the defense and help accelerate some of the growing pains this defense will have to go through if they want to become a better than below-average unit in 2022.
For Lovie Smith, Hamilton is the type of defensive player you can scheme around. Does a matchup dictate a stronger player at nickel corner? Hamilton can come down and do that on third down. Need an additional defender on first down against Derrick Henry? Hamilton is your man. Need an elite safety to read Trevor Lawrence like a textbook? It’s Hamilton again.
Off the field, Hamilton continues to check boxes. He was a standout player at Notre Dame who was universally loved by both his teammates and coaches. Brown had this to say on Hamilton’s reputation off the field
“He’s a great young man first and foremost. He comes from a great family that has raised him right. You won’t have to worry about anything off the field. Hamilton is a real professional in that regard. On defense, he’s a culture setter… Very soft spoken but brings subtle confidence. Was also a team captain. People at Notre Dame love him.”
This is the type of leader and the type of hard-working professional that Caserio and former head coach David Culley preached the importance of in regard to the culture they wanted to build in the locker room.
An added bonus? Both the Marist School and Notre Dame are Catholic institutions. Hamilton should have no problem fitting in with Jack Easterby, Kamu Grugier-Hill and the team’s Bible study culture.
You know the Texans are doing well when the media is asking who is leading the bible study. (Robby?) pic.twitter.com/SpBnNCYcHM
— Rivers McCown (@riversmccown) November 8, 2021
Every single box is checked.
A prospect that seemingly cannot miss at the next level. An athlete that fills a desperate need for the Texans’ defense. A leader that would both elevate those around him and fit the culture Houston is trying to correct.
Houston, Kyle Hamilton is your can’t miss prospect at third overall.
