'He's Able To Do All That!' Kyle Hamilton Elevates Ravens Defense
Throughout much of the 2022 NFL Draft cycle, safety Kyle Hamilton was viewed as one of the premiere players in his class. But on draft night, Hamilton fell to the Baltimore Ravens at No. 14 overall, and the rest is history, with the former Notre Dame standout playing in all but one game during his rookie season and logging well over 800 total snaps between defense and special teams.
The 6-4, 219-pound Hamilton did a little bit of everything for Baltimore in his first year, recording 62 tackles, five quarterback hits, five passes defended, and four tackles for loss across 16 games with four starts. Throughout the campaign, Hamilton saw extended action at nickel, where he had some - but not extensive - experience in college. It made for an adjustment period, but one that has proven valuable as Hamilton now carries a more well-rounded skill set.
As such, Hamilton enters Year 2 with high expectations and more on his plate ... but where, exactly, will he be playing? Ravens coach John Harbaugh recently expounded on the question.
"He is not going to be the nickel, per se - he'll be a safety," Harbaugh said. "A traditional safety role (is) probably not in our defense, because we move our guys around. Our safeties are rushing the passer, they're playing linebacker, they're running from on the line of scrimmage back to the deep middle.
"We do a lot with those guys, so the fact that he's able to do all that really helps us be who we want to be on defense."
Hamilton added that he feels he can do a "multitude" of things defensively and doesn't believe the Ravens are trying to pin him down to one specific position.
Sure, it added to the challenge of trying to find his footing last offseason; the differences from nickel to safety are lengthy, whether it be proximity to the action, field vision, or communication, but it's all helped the 22-year-old become the player he is entering his second training camp. Better yet, Hamilton feels the two spots complement each other well, even with their separate requirements, and he's found specific things to appreciate at both positions.
"At nickel, I feel like footwork, in terms of man coverage (and) getting out through zone drops complements playing safety when you've got to roll down and (play) cover one," Hamilton said.
"And (at) safety, just knowing where everybody is supposed to be at (and) knowing your checks, stuff like that, will complement playing nickel and other positions."
The challenge for Hamilton is trying to not overload himself with information, something he's steadily improving at as he goes - and helping uplift Baltimore's defense in the process. By being a chess piece with alignment versatility, Hamilton affords defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald plenty of freedom to be aggressive with his calls and packages.
And as Hamilton continues to grow, the Ravens' defense should, as well ... and the returns could be evident sooner rather than later this fall.
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