Maybe the best pure prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft, regardless of position, Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton has probably found the perfect home with the Baltimore Ravens. Selected 14th overall, in the first round of the draft last night, Hamilton goes to a franchise synonymous with defense.
Hamilton, who had probably the greatest interception of the entire college football season in the opener at Florida State, was the best defensive back in the college game this past season.
Glad #NotreDame DB Kyle Hamilton went to a city that existed in the Revolutionary Era (Baltimore @Ravens), but it would have been better if he went to New York, Philly or Boston (@patriots) #werk #NFLDraft #ndfb pic.twitter.com/uRHkY8MB4X
— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) April 29, 2022
If you were drafting regardless of position, on the basis of a whole package overall prospect, then he really should have gone first overall.
Hamilton is the highest drafted Irish defensive back since DBs coach Todd Lyght went fifth overall in 1991. He also is the highest drafted Notre Dame defensive player since defensive tackle Bryant Young was taken seventh overall in 1994.
The Hamilton selection means that ND now has 521 all-time NFL draft selections, surpassing USC for the most of any college football program.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.