The Ravens took Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton with the No. 14 total decide Thursday evening, including a playmaking prospect to a crowded security room in a light first-round shock.
Ravens basic supervisor Eric DeCosta, who referred to as Hamilton the most effective security within the NFL draft, stated he didn’t count on the consensus All-American to be obtainable previous the No. 5 total decide. Hamilton’s solely the third security the Ravens have drafted within the first spherical in franchise historical past, after Hall of Famer Ed Reed (2002) and Matt Elam (2013).
“Just too good of a player,” DeCosta stated after Thursday’s first spherical. “It was kind of a no-brainer, to be honest, for us. It wasn’t even contemplation. Had the phone been ringing at that time, we would not have traded out, away from him. And just these kind of players, we feel, are unique. And he can help us in so many ways.”
Safety gave the impression to be a secondary and even tertiary want in Baltimore forward of the draft. Marcus Williams, one of many NFL’s prime ballhawks, was the Ravens’ prime free-agent acquisition, signed to a five-year, $70 million deal final month. Chuck Clark, the protection’s on-field signal-caller, performed each defensive snap final season. Brandon Stephens, a third-round decide in 2021, emerged late final season as a flexible defensive again.
But with Hamilton’s addition, coach John Harbaugh stated the Ravens would use extra three-safety personnel groupings, as they usually did in 2019. Harbaugh indicated that the group has the flexibleness to line up its safeties within the slot, as a dime security in six-defensive-back packages and even as the center linebacker.
“Great makeup, pedigree, productive, tough and physical,” DeCosta stated of Hamilton. “He can do a myriad of different things for us. And never dreamed in a million years that he would be there. Reminds me of some of the old drafts with [former general manager] Ozzie [Newsome], where it just seemed like, in the early days, good players would just fall down the board to us. It kind of felt that way.”
In a convention name Thursday with reporters, Hamilton stated Ravens officers had mentioned his potential position in first-year coordinator Mike Macdonald’s protection, however “not anything specifically.” He had three interceptions and 7 passes defended over seven video games in an injury-shortened 2021 whereas impressing as a run defender. The 6-foot-4 Hamilton performed principally within the slot final season for Notre Dame however was additionally used usually as a deep security and as a field security.
“I do pride myself on my versatility,” Hamilton stated. “I feel like every football player is versatile in their own ways, and I just do it differently. I play different levels of the field, and I feel like I do them all well. A D-lineman can be versatile, because he can have good pass rush along with run stuffing and have a spin move or bull rush. It’s the same thing with a quarterback who is dual threat. [There’s] versatility all around, but I feel like my versatility is unique and something that Baltimore will be happy to use.”
An early run on go rushers and cornerbacks doused the Ravens’ curiosity in buying and selling up, in line with DeCosta. Even after a flurry of trades, considered one of which helped the Philadelphia Eagles land Georgia defensive sort out Jordan Davis, the Ravens had the choice of grabbing a handful of gamers linked to them at No. 14, together with Florida State edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II, Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie and Northern Iowa offensive sort out Trevor Penning.
Instead, they went with Hamilton, probably the most achieved gamers within the draft, whose inventory had slipped throughout the predraft course of over issues about his pace. He posted a 4.59-second 40-yard sprint on the NFL scouting mix, then adopted with a 4.70 at Notre Dame’s professional day.
“In terms of falling, or whatever, or sliding, like people say, you never really know going into the draft whether somebody is falling or sliding,” Hamilton stated. “They just … they go where they’re supposed to go. So, I feel like I just went to the right team at the end of the day. Ten years later, I’ll be looking back at this glad that I came to the Ravens.”
“We would not have drafted him if he couldn’t play in space,” DeCosta stated. “I mean, a safety has to play in space in the modern NFL. And so he’s got awareness. He’s intelligent. Tremendous range. Again, people talk about his 40 time. I could tell you what some of our best players have run, 40-wise, over the years. And this guy covers ground with range and speed and awareness. He’s quick. He’s got great eyes. So he can do it all.”
Hamilton’s arrival will carry hopes in Baltimore for a much-improved secondary. Battered by accidents and beset by huge performs, the Ravens completed final within the NFL in go protection final season (278.9 yards allowed per sport). Ravens officers had been already trying ahead to having prime cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters again from season-ending accidents. Then they added Williams. When Hamilton was nonetheless obtainable at No. 14 total, and the cellphone didn’t ring with any commerce provides, DeCosta referred to as it “a gift that we haven’t always had.”
“It never rang when we drafted [left tackle] Ronnie Stanley,” he stated. “And it never rang when we drafted Marlon Humphrey. And those were pretty good picks. And I feel that we’ll look back on this pick and we’ll be glad that the phone didn’t ring.”
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com