Notre Dame Football: Kyle Hamilton selected in top-10 of latest PFF Mock
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame Football team was shut out of the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but one recent mock has an Irish player going early in 2022.
The Notre Dame football program has not had a first-round pick since the 2019 NFL Draft when Jerry Tillery was the 28th overall selection of the Los Angeles Chargers. This past year, many felt that Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was destined for the first round, or possibly even Liam Eichenberg, though both went in the second.
As we turn the page towards the 2021 college football season and the eventual 2022 NFL Draft, there is reason to believe the Irish will make their return to the first round. They have a few members of the team that have first-round talent, including one of the better defensive backs in all of college football.
Notre Dame Football star goes No. 10 overall
In a recent 2022 NFL Mock Draft over at Pro Football Focus, Mike Renner did a nice job laying out what the first round could look like next April. In his mock, Kyle Hamilton was the No. 10 overall pick, landing with the Atlanta Falcons, who are having a bit of a revamp going on with that side of the ball.
Hamilton was the first safety off the board in this mock draft, and rightfully so, as many feel he is not only the best safety in the class but one of the top defensive backs. Cornerbacks Derek Stingley Jr. and Kaiir Elam went before Hamilton in this mock, with Stingley being the No. 3 overall pick to the New York Jets.
On an Irish defense that will have a lot of new faces in 2021, Hamilton is going to be expected to be a leader, and another season like he had in 2020 will likely spell the end of his time in South Bend.
Two other members of the Irish that have been mocked in the first round so far this year are Jarrett Patterson and Isaiah Foskey, though both were shut out in this one. Foskey should have a monster season under Marcus Freeman, and if Patterson makes the move to left tackle, it improves his draft stock dramatically as well.