Todd McShay: Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton is ‘a pterodactyl’
Todd McShay doesn’t want to hear it.
By the sound of his voice on a recent podcast appearance, he treats expressions of concern about Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton’s 4.59-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine as if they’re a personal affront. The next one might cause the ESPN draft analyst’s head to burst.
McShay downplayed the 40 time, which tied for the slowest among 15 safeties who ran, and instead dove into the tape to support his case for slotting him at No. 2 overall in his post-combine mock draft.
“You tell me he’s a 4.59 football player,” McShay said on the March 17 episode of The Ryen Russillo Podcast, “after you watch his second interception at Florida State when he’s in quarters coverage on the opposite hash of the field, the ball is in the air, he makes a break on it, gets in front of the receiver, picks it off and gets two feet in. I don’t care what the stopwatch is. He’s a 4.4 guy in my mind.”
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Notre Dame’s Friday pro day offers Hamilton a chance at a makeup run. It’s his last in-person workout opportunity in front of NFL teams before the draft, which is April 28-30 in Las Vegas.
To McShay, though, pro day is not a make-or-break event for Hamilton’s draft stock. Other mock drafts didn’t ding Hamilton much for his 40 time, if at all. He’s the No. 7 overall selection in CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco’s latest mock draft and No. 8 in CBS’ Ryan Wilson’s most recent one. McShay’s ESPN colleague Mel Kiper Jr. also slotted Hamilton at No. 2 overall in his Tuesday mock draft.
Even though the 40 time was slower than expected, Hamilton’s overall combine performance drew positive reviews. His 38-inch vertical tied for third among safeties. His 10-foot, 11-inch broad jump ranked second. Those are impressive athletic displays at 6-4 and 220 pounds. His mere size for the position is captivating.
“Kyle Hamilton is a pterodactyl,” McShay said. “He’s so long. I watch him sometime in that overhang, that nickel spot where he can come off the edge and blitz, can drop into coverage underneath, he can be that seventh or eighth guy in the box and also be man-to-man and press.
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“The two things with him are reaction time and length. With safeties, it’s so critical. My thumb gets sore going back and forth [on tape], rewind, rewind, trying to see once the quarterback [gives] the first sight to pull the trigger back, what does the safety do? He consistently has the fastest reaction time of any player in this draft. Take that reaction time when you’re close to the ball with his length. He’s the biggest pain in the ass to throw around in this entire draft.”
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Even so, a safety going No. 2 overall or even in the top five is a see-it-to-believe-it occurrence based on precedent. Not since Eric Berry in 2010 (No. 5 overall) has a team taken a safety in the top five. Only two others have become top-10 picks since then. Sean Taylor (No. 5, 2004) was the only top-five safety selection of the 2000s. Not since Eric Turner in 1991 has a safety gone No. 2 overall.
That’s 30 years of collective thinking that the positional value and impact potential of a safety rarely merits a top-five pick. Is Hamilton special enough to be a once-in-a-decade exception? McShay is unwavering in his answer.
“I don’t care what the number is where he comes off the board,” McShay said. “I don’t care the last time a safety went this high. He’s going to be a massive impact player and worth the pick.”
