Analysts assign grades after Baltimore Ravens select Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton

As the dust from the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft settles, draft experts across the country have had some time to begin analyzing the fit of the first 32 picks.

Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton was one of them, going 14th overall to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night.

While you can probably guess what many analysts thought about the safety frequently called things like a “freak” or a “unicorn,” there were a few surprises. Here are many of the grades:

Ben Linsey, PFF.com: Elite

“The Ravens, as they are wont to do, sit back and capitalize on value with Hamilton sliding to No. 14 overall. Hamilton’s disappointing 40-yard dash time (4.59 seconds) doesn’t show up as a concern on his tape. He’s coming off three consecutive seasons with PFF grades above 75.0, and he has the size and length (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) to line up anywhere and affect the offense in coverage. Baltimore now has one of the better arguments in the league for the NFL’s best secondary with Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, Marcus Williams and Hamilton.”

Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report: A+

“The Baltimore Ravens may have missed out on Georgia’s Jordan Davis, if the Philadelphia Eagles’ hunch was correct. The Ravens clearly didn’t panic and landed one of the best players in the entire draft class. 
Baltimore is so consistent in how it approaches the draft. General manager Eric DeCosta lets the board come to him and simply takes whichever top talent remains available. 

“The Ravens invested in Marcus Williams during free agency. Hamilton is the perfect complementary piece. Alongside Chuck Clark, Baltimore can flex the rookie into multiple different positions and provide different looks in big nickel to confuse opposing quarterbacks. 

“New defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald now has a defensive chess piece. Hamilton could and should be employed in both safety roles, sub-package linebacker, nickel corner and blitzing off the edge. Constant movement will make Hamilton and the Ravens defense downright dangerous.”

Chad Reuter, NFL.com: A+

The Ravens have to be thrilled with Hamilton falling to them. Forget his 40-yard dash time, which drew a lot of poor reviews this spring. Hamilton showed great instincts and intelligence in the Notre Dame secondary. His height and length make him a solid tackler in the open field and his range is excellent. I believe he will be a long-time playmaker in Baltimore.”

Note: This “A” grade was given to the Ravens for their both of their picks last night. With the No. 25 overall pick, they took Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum.

Danny Kelly, The Ringer: A

“The Ravens are annoyingly good at this, aren’t they? Hamilton is a rangy and highly instinctive defensive back who combines size, ball skills, and versatility. He fills a need for Baltimore and should pair well with newly signed Marcus Williams, giving new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald plenty of schematic options.”

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Eric Edholm, Yahoo! Sports: A

“Every year it seems the Ravens just let the draft come to them. How? We’re talking an annual draft pastime. Hamilton would have been a steal at 11; at 14, he’s grand larceny. He’ll be a Day 1 post safety who can move into the slot or box as needed. The Ravens didn’t make enough plays in the secondary last season. This pick will change that.”

Fox Sports: B+

“Year in and year out, the Ravens get extreme value on draft day. Baltimore was a big winner by landing Hamilton — a player some viewed as the best prospect in this class — at 14th overall. Hamilton’s size, physicality and range make him an ideal match in the rough and tumble AFC North.”

James Dator, SB Nation: A+

“I don’t care about position, Kyle Hamilton was one of the Top 5 players in this draft. With unnatural football IQ and leadership potential, Hamilton is destined to become the next great Ravens safety. I really think he could have gone anywhere from No. 3 onwards and it would have been justified, but this is an absolute steal. I love this selection, and this happened because of the trades for the two wide receivers.”

Kevin Hanson, Sports Illustrated: A+

“The Ravens get a steal with my second-ranked player overall. Hamilton’s timed 40-yard dashes—4.59 at the combine and in the 4.7 range at Notre Dame’s pro day—disappointed, but he has outstanding range. With a rare combination of size and length at the position, Hamilton’s athleticism, fluidity, smarts and instincts allow him to make plays all over the field against the run and pass.”

Nate Davis, USA TODAY: A

 “He’s 6-4 and 220 pounds with sub-4.6 speed and can shore up deficiencies at the second and/or third levels. Hamilton can provide coverage, a box presence, blitzing ability and an intimidation factor – and easily toggles between every level of the field based on the versatility he displayed for the Irish. He and newly signed Marcus Williams give Baltimore a sweet new safety combo in a division that will mean constant matchups with Cincy QB Joe Burrow and Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson. Many draft observers rated Hamilton as a top-five talent who was undercut by the general positional value of safeties.”

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: B-

“The Ravens will be getting a player who will help their back end right away. I like Hamilton, but I don’t love him like most. He will have some problems in coverage, but they need to use him in a variety of ways to take advantage of his talents. He isn’t Ed Reed. That’s for sure.”

Sayre Bedinger, Fansided: A

“The Baltimore Ravens are always going to “win” the NFL Draft. It’s just what Eric DeCosta and Ozzie Newsome have always done. They always find value. They always get the player you want. They are like that annoying person in fantasy football that picks right before you in every round who always takes the top player on your board.

“That is exactly who the Ravens are.

“Kyle Hamilton fell out of the top 10 picks likely due in part to his slower than expected 40-yard dash, but in tandem with Marcus Williams, he’s going to be a stud.”

Sheil Kapadia, The Athletic: A

“Hamilton (6-foot-4, 220) has rare size for a safety and showed off outstanding range during his 19 college starts. He lined up at free safety and strong safety for Notre Dame, while also logging more than 200 snaps in the slot.

“The best version of Hamilton would be a supersized Tyrann Mathieu who can line up all over the defense and use his smarts and instincts to create chaos. Hamilton ran a slow 40 time (4.7) at his Pro Day, but he timed in at 4.59 at the combine. He missed six games last year because of a knee injury.

“The Ravens were patient and landed a terrific prospect. I love the match between player and team here.”

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: A+

“The Ravens have been searching for that special playmaking safety since the glory days of Hall of Famer Ed Reed after Earl Thomas didn’t pan out for long. They get that answer here in a top-five overall talent in this draft. Hamilton is a thumper against the run and a ballhawk in pass coverage. He just has a nose for impact plays. He’s an immediate strong candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year working next to solid free-agent addition Marcus Williams.”