Where Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton appears in mock drafts following NFL Combine performance

Former Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton went to the NFL Combine with affirmation as his best case. There is only so much room for a projected top-five pick to raise his stock, after all, especially a safety.

Perhaps Hamilton didn’t send the remove-all-doubt message he hoped with his Sunday combine workout, but at an event where there was more to lose than gain, he appears to have avoided disaster — even with his 4.59 40-yard dash that tied for the slowest among 15 safeties who ran. NFL Combine 40s carry weight, but they’re also a lightning rod for over-analysis. In Hamilton’s case, draft analysts consider his time an outlier in an overall productive week.

“The top safety prospect in the draft, Hamilton is a tough study at an event like the combine,” ESPN’s Matt Miller wrote. “At 6-foot-4, he’s not a great short-area quickness player, and at 220 pounds, he’s not exactly built for events like the explosive 40-yard dash. He did wow with a 38-inch vertical jump, but his 4.59-second run in the 40-yard dash wasn’t ideal.

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“Still, let’s be real: Hamilton’s football instincts, leadership and playmaking ability can’t be judged in the 40-yard dash. Just as some players will run great times and not be great football players, some great football players aren’t going to run fast 40 times. Hamilton falls into that category, and any team that overthinks his ability as a Day 1 impact defensive player is doing it wrong.”

The post-combine mock draft churn reveals mild to zero change in his stock. Hamilton is still a top-five pick in some mocks and a top-10 pick in all of them. He remains a top-five player on many draft boards, including Pro Football Focus’, which slots him No. 2 overall. Here’s a look at where the most recent mocks are projecting him and what other draft analysts said about his time at the combine.

The Draft Network: No. 3 Houston Texans

“While [Michigan defensive end Aidan] Hutchinson is the most well-rounded pass rusher, I think Hamilton is the best overall player,” The Draft Network’s Kyle Crabbs wrote. “And for a team like the Texans, who are essentially a blank slate as an organization, now is not the time to get bogged down in the details of ‘positional value.’ This is a prime #DraftGoodPlayers spot — and for my money, you won’t find one better overall than Hamilton.”

The Athletic: No. 8, Atlanta Falcons

“Last year in his first draft as the Falcons’ general manager, Terry Fontenot stuck to the best-player-available strategy and drafted Kyle Pitts, which was an immediate home run for the Falcons’ offense,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote. “If Fontenot follows the same philosophy this year, Hamilton’s athleticism, intelligence and versatility could be too enticing to pass up.”

Bleacher Report: No. 4, New York Jets

“As the clear No. 1 safety prospect in this year’s draft class, Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton entered the combine with expectations of blowing away the entire process,” Bleacher Report’s tag-teamed mock draft reads. “He didn’t. That’s OK.”

“While Hamilton’s speed and quickness numbers weren’t great, they were still solid when taking his body composition into consideration. Hamilton is a 6-4 220-pound defensive back. His 40-yard dash of 4.59 seconds belies how much range he shows on the field. Furthermore, he’s a smooth athlete capable of providing instant production from all three levels of a defense.”

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USA Today Sports: No. 10, New York Jets

“They’ve been particularly dreadful at safety, obtaining this selection in the deal for Jamal Adams in 2020 and losing franchise-tagged Marcus Maye to injury midway through last season,” USA Today’s Nate Davis wrote.

“Coach Robert Saleh can’t afford to pass up a Kam Chancellor-sized specimen — Hamilton is 6-4 and 220 pounds with sub-4.6 speed — who can shore up deficiencies at the second and/or third levels. Hamilton can provide coverage, a box presence, blitzing ability and an intimidation factor to a unit lacking in all of those areas — just as Chancellor did for Saleh back when the latter was a defensive assistant in Seattle.”

CBS Sports: No. 6, Carolina Panthers

“Carolina would love an offensive lineman here but with three off the board they’ll have to redirect their efforts,” CBS’ Ryan Wilson wrote. “QB makes the most sense, and this could be the pick here if they address the O-line in free agency. For now, though, they’re taking Kyle Hamilton, who has Ed Reed-type instincts in center field, though he can line up anywhere.”

NFL.com: No. 4, New York Jets

“Hamilton didn’t run a fast 40-yard dash (4.59), but the rest of his testing was great — and his versatility and football character are off the charts,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote. “The Jets land a very good football player.”