Notre Dame Football: Kyle Hamilton the first non-QB off the board in 2022?
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame Football team has the best safety in America in Kyle Hamilton, who could end up going really high in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The 2021 Notre Dame Football team boasts elite talent on both sides of the ball, but in safety Kyle Hamilton, they have arguably the best defensive back in college football. An All-American last season, Hamilton has the ability to take away the deep ball, while also possessing the ability to come up and lay the hammer when need be.
If the Irish are to get to ten wins again in 2021, Hamilton and this defense will have to play a huge role. Notre Dame will take on some elite signal-callers in 2021, including Kedon Slovis from USC, Desmond Ridder from Cincinnati, and Sam Howell from UNC, who some believe will be the No. 1 overall pick in 2022.
In a recent 2022 NFL Mock Draft by the folks over at NFL Spin Zone, the talented Cory Kinnan laid out his version of the first round next April, and Hamilton was a lot higher than expected. In fact, Kinnan had Hamilton as the No. 3 overall pick, going to the Jacksonville Jaguars as the first non-QB selected.
Here is what Kinnan had to say about the selection:
"After landing C.J. Henderson in the first round in 2020, then Tyson Campbell in the second round this year, Jacksonville must now take a good, hard look at the third level of their defense. They do just that here by taking potentially the best overall player in next year’s draft class in the form of Hamilton."
That is some pretty high praise, but he could be right, as Hamilton is as elite as they come in terms of the position group. Also, safety has become a premium spot in today’s pass-happy NFL, making Hamilton an even bigger target heading into next year’s draft.
Notre Dame Football shut out of Round 1 in 2019 and 2020
Incredibly, the Irish have not had a first-round player taken across the last two NFL Drafts, even though they had nine taken in this past draft alone. Hamilton is a guy who is being mocked all over the first round, so you have to think this trend is going to end next April.
Some feel that Hamilton could be the No. 2 overall prospect in this draft class, but as we all know, quarterbacks usually lead the way once the picking begins. Still, there is no doubt that Hamilton should erase the Notre Dame first-round drought, but as we saw with Owusu-Koramoah in 2021, you never know what is going to happen on draft night.