S Kyle Hamilton Scouting Report

By: Brendan Bolan

Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton is one of the most exciting and talented prospects for this year’s draft class. The Junior has blossomed into one of, if not the best safety in college football. His bag of tricks is filled with just about every skill set you need to be successful on the next level. Standing at 6”4” and nearly 220 pounds, Hamilton provides great size for an NFL safety. With that size, he has a longer reach than most receivers, giving him optimal coverage ability as a safety. You would think carrying around that giant frame would slow him down, but Kyle Hamilton doesn’t work that way. He is still one of the best athletes in college football, regardless of position. 

One of the biggest strengths to Hamilton’s game is his quick burst and closing ability. One of the most important traits NFL scouts look for in a defensive back is  “small area explosiveness”. There are few players in college football that have as quick of a break on a ball or to a player as Hamilton. He trusts his eyes, and when he can’t rely on his eyes, he trusts his IQ. His ability to close the distance between him and the targeted receiver is uncanny, especially for someone of that size. Quarterbacks must be incredibly disciplined and accurate when playing against Hamilton. 

Another asset to his game that will make scouts drool is his ability to plug him anywhere on the field and find success. With his frame he is not someone you can just bully around when he comes down in the box for run support. At 6’4”, he is bigger than some NFL linebackers. He also has been put into situations where he has been asked to be the single high safety and cover sideline to sideline. He has great mobility for such a large safety, and does not have any concern when it comes to fluid hips,  which many NFL players consider to be the most important skill for a defensive back. 

The only concern with Hamilton is a fixable one, and I expect him to do so. Sometimes Hamilton is a little bit too trigger happy. He is the definition of a play maker, and he wants to make the plays. Sometimes, but not often he will aggressively bite on a play action opening up space over the top. Luckily though, Hamilton is a freak athlete, and is great at recovering after making an error on the field.

My NFL comparison: Justin Simmons. Although Hamilton has 2” and 20 pounds on Simmons, there is a striking resemblance in the two’s playing styles and abilities. Simmons is a very fluid moving safety that understands how and when to break on receivers and balls. This skill set is why Simmons has the third most interceptions out of all safeties since 2017. Secondly, his ability and willingness to help in run support. Simmons is not the strongest or biggest guy, but he plays like it in the run game. He is a disciplined tackler and always finds himself coming up into the box making a play. The strengths these two players have in common are unbelievably similar. 

Kyle Hamilton is the prototype safety for the ever evolving NFL. His frame will allow him to take on bigger challenges such as taking tight ends one on one, and providing great help in run support. His fluidity and short burst ability will make him a force to be reckoned with in the pass game. Hamilton looks like he could be the first safety taken in the top 10 during the last 4 years. 

Strengths: 

-Prototypical frame, bigger than Kam Chancellor

– Disciplined tackler

– Sideline to sideline coverage ability 

– Great recovery speed 

-Can be utilized anywhere on the field 

-Trusts his IQ 

– Effective in the run game 

Weaknesses: 

-Trigger happy, which can lead him to being out of position 

– Size could be an issue when dealing with shifty and small wide receivers