Are We Sure Kyle Hamilton Is THAT Good?
I can’t understand the Kyle Hamilton buzz for the life of me. I really tried. I can’t find ONE person that has even a negative thing to say about the Notre Dame safety. If someone else is anti-Hamilton, they’re probably the first.
I just don’t get the hype. As of right now, Hamilton is the odds on favorite to be picked with the 2nd overall pick by Detroit. I’m just going to say it because somebody has to.
If you pick Kyle Hamilton in the top five of the 2022 NFL Draft, you should automatically be fired into the sun. I’ll be the first to take a stand. Someone has to because this hype train is a crash waiting to happen.
I’m not a Fighting Irish die hard so I can’t say I’ve watched every snap of their games. Only a few games each year but I’ve seen enough at this point to get somewhat of a feel for what Hamilton is. With any prospect, I always try to lay out a range of outcomes because life is a simulation and it’s impossible to project any player without knowing the circumstances around him.
Best case: I see a Kam Chancellor type of guy. Someone that can tackle really well. Play the box. Make a few plays on the ball here and there. Has some instincts and can force some fumbles. Overall a really good safety. Even best case, it’s hard to justify a top five selection on Kam Chancellor.
Worst case: He’s the Aaron Curry of this draft except the safety version of it.
The latter point is really what needs to be talked about. Hamilton is not can’t miss. Far from it. In fact, I’d probably go with there’s a better chance that someone else is the best safety in the draft rather than Hamilton being an Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu type player. Because there is a zero percent chance Hamilton is on the same level as those two AFC North Hall of Famers.
Hamilton has a lot of bad qualities that should give teams pause. I saw a lot of what I didn’t need to see at the combine. He’s almost too tall and can’t change direction like an elite player. Plays way too high and doesn’t have great knee bend. His short area quickness stinks. The balance is not there at all. Guy couldn’t even run in a straight line at the 40 yard dash. Oh, he’s not fast either.
Physically, Hamilton looks good and had some good testing numbers in the jumping events. He also lacks as an elite ball hawk. Hamilton has eight career interceptions during his three year career at Notre Dame. Ed Reed had 17 INTs his last two years at Miami. If I’m picking a safety that high in the draft, he better come with Reed level ball skills. Something Hamilton can’t sniff.
You know what Hamilton reeks and smells like right now… Isaiah Simmons. Another 6-foot-4 athlete who people raved about. At the end of the day, nobody knows what he can do. Arizona still can’t figure it out. I think I know what Hamilton can do. He looks a lot like a bigger version of Jamal Adams and that might be generous. Ask Seattle what it’s like to overpay for that type of player?
What am I missing here because this smells like a con job by the media. So because Hamilton makes himself accessible to the media and hosts a podcast people can listen to, that makes him a great NFL prospect? So we’re going to let Colin Cowherd raise his draft price because Hamilton hosts a show on his network? Do we see how insane this is?
We do understand that Jaquan Brisker was a better recruit coming out of high school, right? We do understand that Lewis Cine was a better recruit coming out of high school, right? Kyle Hamilton played in the state of Georgia. They wanted Cine instead who played in Texas out of state (Yes, they did offer Hamilton but Cine was the better HS player and it’s not hard to understand Hamilton wanting a Notre Dame degree and an easier path to playing time).
There just isn’t a chance in hell I’m taking Kyle Hamilton in the top five of the 2022 NFL Draft. I’ll be the only one willing to say it. That’s fine. Don’t come crying to me if and when Hamilton fails to live up to expectations. Don’t forget, you were conned by the media. Don’t forget I told you so.
