OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Kyle Hamilton’s path to the Baltimore Ravens started when he veered right wildly while running his 40-yard dash at the NFL combine.
If this had been track, Hamilton would’ve been disqualified for going outside his lane. His penalty for running this way in front of football scouts: a free fall in the NFL draft.
Hamilton’s slower-than expected time of 4.59 seconds ranked 14th among all safeties at the combine and was the slowest of any safety taken in the first round of the last five drafts. It created doubts whether the Notre Dame safety could cover ground at the next level, and it caused the one-time, top-5 prospect to slide to the Ravens at the No. 14 overall pick.
The Ravens, who have a history of trusting what they see on tape over the stopwatch, have no concerns about Hamilton’s speed.
“You look at his game speed [and] what you see on tape. He’s covering ground,” Ravens director of player personnel Joe Hortiz said. “He’s flying up. He’s showing bursts. He’s showing explosiveness and range. Then you look at your grade, your speed grade, and you have a good grade, and it all matches up, and just the 40[-yard dash time] didn’t match up.”
For anyone who’s not seen it, please watch Kyle Hamilton’s 40 (~45yds in the end😅) ⤵️
When would you ever see him weave like this in a game? He’s much quicker on film, stop overthinking prospects! pic.twitter.com/I106lMSF0h
— Luke Carr (TD4LC) (@LukeCarrNFL) March 29, 2022
Case in point: Hamilton’s first of two interceptions against Florida State last season. Starting at the right hashmark, Hamilton ran all the way to the opposite sideline to make the pick. When the pass was thrown, he still needed to cover about 20 yards to get to the spot for the interception.
On one play, Hamilton displayed exceptional instincts, great recognition (he looks at the quarterback and then the receiver before making his break on the ball) and the quickness to close on a receiver.
“People talk about…
Source : espn
