Notre Dame football: Reasons Kyle Hamilton will be the NFL's DROY

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Apr 28, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Notre Dame football safety Kyle Hamilton is announced as the fourteenth overall pick to the Baltimore Ravens during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft at the NFL Draft Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

The Notre Dame football program saw Kyle Hamilton selected in the first round on Thursday, and here is why he will be the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year.

It was an eventful first round of the 2022 NFL Draft for Notre Dame football star Kyle Hamilton, as he dropped down to No. 14 overall. For months, Hamilton was mocked as being a top-5 pick, and some even had him going as high as No. 2 overall to Detroit, so to go in the middle of the first round was a bit of a shock.

Still, Hamilton became the first Notre Dame football player to be drafted in the first round since 2019, and he could end up being the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Notre Dame football: Reasons Kyle Hamilton will be the NFL’s DROY

Playoff contending team

Over the last five years, the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year has come from a playoff team, and the Ravens should be exactly that in 2022. This is a team that missed out on the playoffs last year, which is why they were drafting at No. 14 overall, but that was because Lamar Jackson missed crucial games down the stretch.

In 2022, you can expect John Harbaugh and his Ravens to not only challenge for the AFC North title but possibly a Super Bowl ring. Jackson is a winner at quarterback, and thanks to the talent the Ravens have put around him on both sides of the ball this offseason, they should be back on top in 2022, which bodes well for Hamilton’s Rookie of the Year chances.

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