Here’s what Baltimore Sun staff members think of the Ravens’ selection of Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton with the No. 14 overall pick in Thursday night’s opening round of the NFL draft:
Jonas Shaffer, reporter: Eric DeCosta sticks to his guns. You can certainly say that much. Handed the opportunity to take a talented cornerback (Washington’s Trent McDuffie) or a high-upside offensive tackle (Northern Iowa’s Trent Penning) at No. 14 overall, DeCosta instead went with the highest-rated player on his board: Hamilton. Now the Ravens just have to figure out how to use all their safeties. Marcus Williams is a ball hawk. Chuck Clark is the on-field leader. Brandon Stephens, more of a hybrid than true safety, can line up anywhere. And now here comes Hamilton, considered a generational safety prospect until a disappointing NFL scouting combine performance.
Childs Walker, reporter: After a rough start, the draft began tilting toward the Ravens with a run on wide receivers that began at pick No. 8. The Philadelphia Eagles took one of their options off the board when they traded up for mammoth defensive tackle Jordan Davis at No. 13. But the Ravens still had their choice of excellent defenders and they went with a classic “best player available” pick in safety Kyle Hamilton. The Ravens did not need a safety, but plenty of analysts regarded Hamilton as one of the five best all-around players in the draft. He combines length, range, versatility and excellent football instincts, and defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald will have a blast figuring out how to use him. Hamilton’s relatively slow time in the 40-yard dash scared away some teams, but he did nothing but produce at Notre Dame, and it’s hard to argue with the value at No. 14.
Mike Preston, columnist: New Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald must be scheming up a formation with four safeties. Surprising. The Ravens had an opportunity to select Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson II, which could have bolstered their pass rush, but general manager Eric DeCosta appears to have a fascination with safeties. But it would have been nice to have Johnson on one end and Odafe Oweh on the other. Hamilton has good size and is a long strider. He’ll give the Ravens a presence over the middle, but they still need a pass rusher. Maybe they will find one, which is why they traded wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to the Arizona Cardinals for pick No. 23. DeCosta’s first draft in 2019 that included Brown, outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson and wide receiver Miles Boykin, who was cut earlier this month, is a clear disappointment.
Ryan McFadden, reporter: In a shocking move, the Ravens decided to go with the best player available and pick Hamilton. The Notre Dame star is perhaps one of the best versatile defenders in the country and will improve the Ravens secondary, which struggled mightily this past season. Florida State edge rusher Jermaine Johnson seemed like the logical move, but pairing Hamilton with newly acquired free agent Marcus Williams and cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey is hard to turn down.
C.J. Doon, editor: This is a shocker. After signing free-agent star Marcus Williams this offseason, safety wasn’t high on the Ravens’ list of needs. But after the Eagles traded up for Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis, a popular Ravens target, the options were limited. This is truly an example of their “best player available” philosophy — Hamilton is the fourth-ranked overall player on The Athletic’s consensus big board consisting of input from more than 80 draft analysts. It’ll be fun to see how new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald takes advantage of Hamilton’s versatile skill set. With Williams, they might have the best young safety tandem in the league.
Tim Schwartz, editor: This was, simply put, not the Ravens’ most pressing need. They signed Marcus Williams to a five-year, $70 million contract in the offseason, and their best defensive players are littered throughout the secondary. But Baltimore has never shied away from taking the best available player, and it’s hard to argue that Hamilton was not the best player remaining by the 14th pick. Opposing offenses will be up at night with the duo of Hamilton and Williams pairing alongside cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey — assuming the latter two are healthy in 2022. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher with Florida State edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II still available, but if Hamilton performs as expected, that’s a scary secondary.
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