One of college football’s best prospects has made a decision regarding his future. Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton announced today, via his official twitter account that he’s forgoing his final year with the Fighting Irish. The 20-year old defender will now focus his attention on the 2022 NFL Draft.
In his announcement, Hamilton shared a thank you message, going into further detail about his experiences since coming to South Bend. In the post, Hamilton also mentioned he would be skipping Notre Dame’s Fiesta Bowl matchup against Oklahoma State.
Kyle Hamilton as a top NFL Draft prospect
Kyle Hamilton has widely been regarded as a top NFL draft prospect since before the year even started.
Hamilton is a 6-foot-4, 219-pound safety who some would refer to as a generational talent. His profile doesn’t include many weaknesses. Hamilton classifies as a rangy safety who excels in coverage thanks to his elite speed.
Originally born in Greece, Hamilton comes from a family of athletes and possesses great strength, football IQ, and ball skills. He also is a sound tackler who can help step up and stop the run. Hamilton can do just about anything asked from him from a defensive perspective.
There’s rarely a safety who is taken within the first ten selections, but that’s where many mocks already have the talented defensive back landing. Sportsnaut’s latest mock has Hamilton going third overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. There hasn’t been a safety drafted in the top-three since the Cleveland Browns selected Eric Turner at No. 2 back in 1991, but Hamilton has the talent to be the next top safety off the board.
Kyle Hamilton stats
- 2019: 41 tackles, one for loss, six pass deflections, four interceptions, one touchdown (13 games)
- 2020: 63 tackles, 4.5 for loss, six pass deflections, one interception (11 games)
- 2021: 34 tackles, two for loss, four pass deflections, three interceptions (seven games)
After such a prolific college career where the game tape matches the athleticism, Hamilton should excel during the NFL Scouting Combine and pre-draft process. It’s hard to envision a scenario where Hamilton slips out of the top-15 selections in April’s draft.