Notre Dame football: Ignore the negative Draft noise around Kyle Hamilton
By Brad Weiss
As we inch closer to the 2022 NFL Draft, some experts have Notre Dame football star Kyle Hamilton falling, but they would be wrong.
During his time as the star safety for the Notre Dame football program, Kyle Hamilton established himself as one of the draft gems of the 2022 NFL Draft. After declaring early for the draft, he was listed as a definite first-round draft pick, being mocked all over the internet as a top-5 pick.
However, as we have started to inch our way towards the draft, which will take place on April 28 in Las Vegas, Hamilton’s draft stock is suddenly starting to slip a bit. Some have him as a top-10 pick still, but more towards No. 10, and not the top-3 pick that he has been consistently talked about being.
The NFL Draft is a funny place, as we saw a first-round talent like Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah go from being a top-10 pick, potentially, to falling into the middle of the second round. He proved to be a first-round talent in his rookie season, dominating the NFL landscape, which is exactly what Hamilton is sure to do next year.
Notre Dame football star will be off the board early
If you do not follow him, FanSided’s NFL Insider Matt Lombardo is one of the best in the business, and he recently spoke with an NFL scout regarding Hamilton. While the noise surrounding Hamilton has been a bit negative as of late, one NFL scout said to not believe the hype.
"“He is a legit Day-one starter,” an NFC personnel executive tells FanSided. “He can play multiple positions based on down and distance, has excellent instincts, and even better range. Don’t believe me, go watch his game against Florida State this year …”"
So while the talking heads surrounding the draft continue to put out this negative narrative, those inside the buildings know what kind of talent Hamilton is. The truth is, he is someone who is going to come in and completely change the fortunes of some lucky NFL team’s defensive backfield, becoming the first Notre Dame football player taken in the first round since 2019.
The 2022 NFL Draft is going to have some fireworks early on, as we have already seen multiple teams trading around to try and get a better draft position. The article calls Hamilton a “Swiss Army Knife,” and for whoever takes him, they could be getting a player that will have a Derwin James-like impact in Year 1.