Three words: Best. Player. Available.
The Baltimore Ravens just secured their secondary for the future by taking Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton with the 14th overall pick.
Hamilton was widely considered as not only the top safety prospect in the 2022 draft, but the top prospect overall. Affectionately labeled by many as a “unicorn,” Hamilton surprisingly fell out of the top-ten in a draft that saw only defensive players get taken with the first five picks.
Following a frenzy of first-round trades, there was a sliver of a chance that the Ravens would trade out of the first round to perhaps collect a better pick haul.
After the Philadelphia Eagles took defensive tackle Jordan Davis the pick prior, a handful of the Ravens’ coveted targets remained on the table including Jermaine Johnson, Trent McDuffie, and Trevor Penning.
But all speculation was put to bed as Baltimore chose to add yet another starting-caliber member to its insanely talented backfield.
The Ravens get the best player in this class at 14. Some teams just know how to do this.
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) April 29, 2022
With the No. 14 overall pick, the Ravens select Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton.
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) April 29, 2022
Hamilton was clearly the highest-rated player on Baltimore's board because this doesn't address one of the major needs.
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said he takes best player available.
Nobody evaluates draft classes four years later and says, "But it was a good pick because it was a position of need." Nah. You take the unicorn safety w/ exceptional instincts and range, and explosive blitzing. Kyle Hamilton was EASILY the BPA and is a future Pro Bowler.
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) April 29, 2022
The Ravens now have a secondary that consists of:
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) April 29, 2022
- Marlon Humphrey
- Marcus Peters
- Chuck Clark
- Marcus Williams
- Kyle Hamilton
Baltimore Ravens shrewdly take Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton with the No. 14 pick
Two All-Pro corners. Marcus Williams, Chuck Clark, and now Kyle Hamilton at safety. Name an offense that wouldn’t be scared of this secondary right now.
I can’t be disappointed when you get Hamilton at 14 under this circumstance. Classic #Ravens move. https://t.co/YnT0zDqXpR
— Dev Panchwagh (@devpanchwagh) April 29, 2022
With the top two corners and top three pass-rushers off the board within the first five picks, the beginning of this draft could not have gone worse for Baltimore.
While the Ravens could have still plugged holes at cornerback and the pass-rush with then-available options like McDuffie and Johnson, Eric DeCosta and the team have long followed a “best player available” strategy in previous drafts, and 2022 is no different.
Hamilton will fit in well in Mike Macdonald’s new-look defense where Hamilton’s versatility will allow him to play as a back-end hybrid across the backfield and create defensive mismatches.
After signing free agent Marcus Williams this offseason, many believed Baltimore was done improving its secondary, but the pain and trauma of the 2021 season may have cut the team too deeply.
Last year, the Ravens finished at the bottom of the league in pass defense. Hamilton — and the rest of the Ravens’ secondary unit — will make sure that doesn’t happen again.
The Ravens now boast two of arguably the best young talents at safety in 2022 and shouldn’t have to worry about the position for the next several years, at the very least.