Mel Kiper Jr. moves Kyle Hamilton up in his latest mock draft

Although former Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton saw his season cut short due to injury, his NFL Draft stock remained high. In fact ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. moved Hamilton high up the board this week in his Mock Draft 3.0.

Hamilton, who was Kiper’s No. 4 pick in his first two mock drafts this offseason, is now projected to go No. 2 overall to the Detroit Lions. The former Fighting Irish standout increased his draft stock tremendously at the NFL Combine and Kiper reflected that in his latest mock.

He also had some high praise for Hamilton during his Mock Draft 3.0 reveal special.

“At two, Kyle Hamilton is a unique, rare talent,” Kiper said. “You can’t compare him to anybody else. He is who he is. He had eight career interceptions. Only appeared in seven games this year because of the injury or [he’d have had] maybe double-digit INTs. I think for what they need, a foundation piece, a chess piece that you can move around.

“You still got to beat Aaron Rodgers in that division. He ain’t going away. He’s still a Packer. So I think Kyle Hamilton makes a lot of sense. He is one of the top two or three players, some think the best player, in this draft.”

In seven games in 2021, Hamilton had three interceptions to go with 34 total tackles. But in 31 games over three years, he had eight interceptions, 97 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss for Notre Dame. He suffered a knee injury in the Fighting Irish’s game against USC in October and ended up missing the rest of the season.

Still, he’s sure to be one of the top names to go in April’s NFL Draft in Las Vegas.

Mina Kimes names Kyle Hamilton her best player in 2022 NFL Draft

Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton has been one of the more intriguing prospects as the NFL Draft inches closer, and while he’s certainly regarded as one of the top defensive backs of the 2022 class, ESPN’s Mina Kimes believes the Fighting Irish safety deserves the highest imaginable honor.

“I am so happy because I was so nervous about saying that Kyle Hamilton is the best player in this draft,” Kimes said. “And maybe more importantly, the best player for this moment in football in response to the explosion in passing over the last decade, defenses are now asking so much out of safeties. More disguise, more versatility and versatility is what this guy has in spades.”