Xavier Watts might someday be the best safety in the NFL, but he’s not there yet. That prestigious title instead rests with another former Notre Dame football star. Kyle Hamilton has been impressing folks since he got to the league; now ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler is demonstrating just how much he’s impressed onlookers, naming him the top player at his position in the league.
In reality, it’s not Fowler or ESPN making the proclamation about Hamilton. The writer surveyed league executives, coaches, and scouts to help them rank the top 10 players across 11 positions. ESPN is slowly rolling out those position rankings, and on Thursday it was the safeties’ turn.
“More than 70 voters submitted a ballot on at least one position, and in many cases all positions,” Fowler wrote. “This was not a five-year projection or a career achievement award, but meant to answer a simple question: Who are the best players right now?” The former Notre Dame star topped the list at safety despite still really just starting his NFL career.
Kyle Hamilton is entering his fifth year in the league after having a phenomenal first four seasons. As a rookie, he tallied 62 tackles, 2 sacks, and 5 passes defended. He showed that there isn’t really anything he can’t do, which had people taking notice early.
Kyle Hamilton named NFL’s top safety in ESPN league survey
His second season was even better as he logged 81 tackles, 3 sacks, 4 interceptions (including one returned for a touchdown), and a whopping 13 passes defended. And then, somehow, he just kept getting better and better.
In his third season in the NFL, Hamilton logged 107 tackles while still sacking the quarterback twice and being someone who was nearly impossible to complete a pass against. The 2026 campaign for the former Notre Dame star might have been his best yet, simply because the Baltimore Ravens’ defense as a whole simply wasn’t as good as it had been in previous years.
"His size and physicality stand out," an AFC offensive coach told ESPN in his survey. "He's that big-bodied DB who can play nickel or safety that teams are looking for. He's a talented cover player, but his ability to play the run at the point of attack and his effectiveness as a blitzer make him somebody you really have to account for in game planning."
He demonstrated that in his first three years with B-More. Hamilton was the only defensive back to produce at least 15 tackles for loss, 5 sacks and 5 interceptions. Not the only safety, the only defensive back period. He was easily outshining even the best cornerbacks in the NFL. That body of work earned him a four-year, $104 million extension.
He then made the Ravens immediately look like geniuses for giving him that kind of money as he followed that up with a first-team All-Pro performance.
Perhaps the craziest thing about the former Notre Dame DB is that he could still get better. One offensive coach said he’s “only average” as a safety, but he excels at nickel. If Kyle Hamilton can improve his game a bit at the base safety position, the sky’s the limit.
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