Notre Dame football: Irish could have back-to-back first-round safeties
By Brad Weiss
With Kyle Hamilton expected to go early in the 2022 NFL Draft, could the Notre Dame football team have another first-round safety stepping in?
The 2022 NFL Draft is weeks away, and for the Notre Dame football team, star safety Kyle Hamilton is expected to be selected in the first round. The Irish have not had a first-round draft pick since 2019, which is quite a drought for a program of this caliber, but Hamilton is certainly going to break that trend.
In fact, one scout recently told Matt Lombardo from FanSided.com that Hamilton has the talent to be the No. 1 overall pick this April. While that is not likely, it is a testament to just how special he was during his time in South Bend, and he now turns over the position to Brandon Joseph, a transfer from Northwestern.
Joseph is an outstanding talent and a player who is going to make an impact immediately for the Irish.
Notre Dame football moves on to Brandon Joseph
Joseph transferred to the Irish back in January, and with that, Notre Dame football was able to make up for the biggest loss of this offseason. Hamilton is not the kind of player who is easily replaced, but in Joseph, they get a former All-American who many considered a legitimate first-round prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Joseph has been mocked in the first round by multiple outlets due to not only his size and speed but his ability to impact the game in the turnover department. The Irish defense has a tall task right out the gate in 2022, as they take on Ohio State’s offense, so we will see if the hype is real surrounding Joseph.
Notre Dame football is going to be tough to score on this season, as they have veteran talent up and down the lineup. The safety spot was viewed as a serious issue when Hamilton declared for the NFL, but now that Joseph is with the Irish, they could be putting another first-round safety out there every week.