What makes Kyle Hamilton special

[@jubriladeromilehin5263]

His coverage skills go unnoticed because of how well he tackles. This man does it all!

[@johnsuggs7828]

It's not even fair how much talent he has. Tackles well, instincts, covers....what doesn't he do well

[@mikesul16]

Guy is an absolute unicorn. I’m astounded he got picked so late in the 1st round to this day.

[@felloephlebs]

14 is pretty high brotha 😂

[@Eli7579]

@@felloephlebsyeh but he was a projected top 5 pick at one point

[@mikesul16]

@@felloephlebs no doubt, but I was sure someone would take him in the top 6 picks, even at a non-premium position. In retrospect, I imagine a team would….

[@raynmaker629]

​@@mikesul16they went by his 40 time instead of his intelligence

[@addict6504]

14th is pretty high especially for a safety

[@coopdedooped]

He's elite at so many different things. I'm not sure there's a defender better at blowing up perimeter screens than Hamilton.

[@efraimsoloway4420]

you know the guy is elite when the actual interception was just an afterthought at the end 😂

[@DustinPlatt]

First-Team AP All-Pro in his second year while not playing a few games because of injuries... shows how much a baller Hamilton is.

[@youknowho2541]

Shout out to this channel! No long drawn out yapping or annoying intro...just to the the point. Speaks clearly and doesn't jumble too many words into a sentence. Excellent work! I'm subbing!

[@harrymills2770]

Agree. Lots of channels add a lot of fluff like the corporate channels do, and it's an old-fashioned waste of time.

[@darkchocolate3390]

TLDR he can cover TEs, RBs and WRs in space while shedding blocks and finishing tackles. I still remember when Twitter had a laugh at him because he got beaten by Slade Bolden on indie drill in training camp.

[@ajrocks44]

His size is also a huge factor. I've stood next to him and he is built like a NBA player. Im 6' 2 and he made me feel short. He has long limbs and is strong. His ability to read the game fast and his ability to cover space with his length and make hard hits with his strength makes him so good. That 22 draft is what the 18 draft class and other vets on the team needed. Well that and for them to stay in the game.

[@grizzly5994]

Brandon Aiyuks arms are the same length as if he was 6’9

[@RillaGorilla420]

This young man is gonna be SPECIAL in the years to come. Perennial All Pro and Pro Bowler comin at ya for the next 10 years!

[@jackmckeown616]

Was not expecting an Irish person to explain the finer details of American football so well... Great vid!

[@johnsuggs7828]

04:34 - Dee boh Sam you well LMAO

[@jim2lane]

He's been amazing all season. I don't know what his current contract is, but he deserves a double bonus at this point

[@chairmanro1012]

Keep doing what you’re doing Cian, your analysis is fresh, insightful and nuanced. From an Irish Pats fan in Beijing

[@AfterParty559]

Love the break down of #KyleHamilton. He deserves all the ACCOLADES coming his way. A TRUE #1Safety.

[@theghosty99]

This is some fantastic explaining, really great job

[@JP-ml1xe]

We didnt "need" a safety that year. But he fell and im so glad we got him. He was being called a top 5 if not top 3 pick that year

[@JunctionWatcher]

Would be interesting if you looked at some tape from last year. He had issues over pursuing and finishing plays, especially at the start of the season. It’s so impressive the improvement he’s achieved in just 12-18months.

[@matthewmowen2736]

This is a great breakdown of Hamilton's football mind. Really quality content and analysis. Great job!

[@fanboy50]

It's a year later and I'm still amazed that he fell out of the top 10 to us, "non-premium position" (ha!) or no. EDC and Mike Mac have put on a clinic on how a good defensive middle is a force-multiplier for the rest of the unit. But thankfully guys like Hamilton don't come along that often.

[@richardhill222]

I like their organizational philosophy. They are always strong up the middle with DT, great LB play and a stud safety.

[@jasontorres1369]

The ayuik zig route was against Hamilton in zone coverage, that’s why he ain’t bite so much. The first zig route against Cleveland was in man so that’s why there was more separation.

[@sum12see]

Nice breakdown of the coverage....Bravo sir...

[@craftwalt]

This was some incredible insightful analysis.

[@toomanylies7716]

2:30 I'm interested in seeing if he's going to get a flag in a crucial moment in a big playoff game due to how often he puts hands on receivers as they're running away from him.

[@stevenjackson7956]

Prob if it’s a wr but when covering tight ends the refs let these guys get more physical

[@timberwolfe338]

He got torched in the rams game. Granted it was super rainy, but he started playing a little less grabby after that game

[@KingCyrus311]

The guys precious defensive coordinator made him a unicorn We shall see how he produces with his new DC this season

[@stephensmith2979]

Nice breakdown Cian 👏👏👏

[@muaythaiplaylist]

Just looking at all the effects made me instantly subscribe lol

[@nologic29]

This dude is one of the best Safeties in the world in his second year. Insane skill and speed at 6'4 with that lengthy wingspan too.

[@CambriaPelletier6090]

Kyle Hamilton is an All Pro, Pro Bowler at the age of 22. I'm so grateful he's a Raven. 💜🖤

[@swimmer8585]

As much as I love kyle hamilton, its incredible he's probably still going to go down in history as the Raven's second best safety

[@oleander1956]

Great video Cian

[@CMCFLYYY]

This just goes to show you game speed matters more than combine speed. Hamilton isn't a freak athlete in terms of speed. For a safety his 40 times and splits were very average, and his shuttle team not great either. His best scores were his size and jumps (which indicate explosion). But he isn't even playing safety, so flipping his RAS to a CB profile instead, his score becomes even more outrageous. Literal 10.0s for his size (6'4, 220lbs, 33" arms) and still great jump scores, but his 40 and shuttle are both now well below average at 3.85 and 3.72. Everything about Hamilton screams average athletically, til you watch him on the field. The ability to process what you're seeing quickly and react quickly makes up for "average" combine speed. His long arms only help accentuate that, by getting hands on guys earlier and being able to read their movement. But he is simply ELITE in his mental processing and game speed. Whereas another slot hybrid type safety (at least in college) Dax Hill is the total opposite. He doesn't have the same size (only 6'0 190lbs and 32" arms) but he has elite combine speed (4.38 40) and shuttle (4.06). This type of athleticism is what you'd expect to see from Hamilton. But Dax is actually the one who struggles on the field, and it's because of his slow mental processing. I'm sure learning a new position is part of it (moving to FS), but even still when he plays in the box or slot the game just seems to move a bit too fast for him.

[@seanlahm4826]

Good point. It doesn't matter how fast you are if you are running in the wrong direction. The guy isn't just a great athlete . 3.4GPA at Notre Dame, for three years, is a pretty good sign he does his homework.

[@fanboy50]

I'm not even sure Hamilton's athleticism is all that 'average', it's just not the kind that shows up in tests like what they run at the combine. The 40 in particular is kind of worthless for players that aren't offensive skill positions or corners, and Hamilton is definitely a case study in "trust your eyes and the tape over combine numbers". Guys outside WR, CB, and RB's rarely run in straight lines uninterrupted, never mind without pads; if the guy is fast on tape against top-tier competition, he's fast enough, end of. Of course, the other thing (and his smarts play into this) that makes Hamilton such an elite defender already is that he's incredibly versatile; while he's a safety by position and does good work in coverage, it's remiss to not mention how sure a tackler he is against the run (if Ro and Queen don't get someone, Hamilton will almost definitely clean up the play) and his ability to contribute to the pass rush. He's really the most-effective realization we've seen in a while, possibly ever if you don't count some classic box safeties, of what Isaiah Simmons was supposed to be, just a Defensive Athlete who can be moved around and deployed as whatever the defensive coordinator wants to use him as on a given play. He's also got the necessary aggressiveness; he's not a real rah-rah guy when you listen to him talk, but he plays with the kind of intensity and fury that makes me think of Troy Polamalu in the best way possible.

[@seoigh]

excellent analysis, mo chara

[@stevenjackson7956]

Easily the most valuable db in the league. Hope he can bring DPOY back to a db one year

[@Will-tl2sj]

The crazy thing is imo when the eagles traded up to get Davis I really wanted Hamilton so bad on the eagles and so far Davis has been a huge disappointment while Hamilton is a stud 😢

[@WalterWhiteFootballSharing]

Been enjoying your work a long time, Cian. I forgot all the websites you wrote for, some aint around. Grantland?

[@osirisra1476]

I don't think he ever wrote for Grantland. Football Outsiders is how I discovered him.

[@jakeburke7651]

I wanted him for the Jets, but then sauce fell to us so I'm good, but if Sauce was picked whefe he should've been I would've wanted Hamilton.

[@adamletschin7759]

I'd rather Hamilton than Sauce. A lock down corner is important but Kyle is just so damn versatile. He lines up all over the field.

[@Hello-bg8hv]

Good thing the 9ers faced them during the regular season so now we know they can't draw up ways to break there DF

[@Silverarrows445]

Basically, Hamilton had a 4.0 gpa in college.

[@hectorcolon4602]

He’s a great talent but he benefits from the Baltimore system. The skein is Taylor made for him. Put him on Arizona or Washington and you will see that he won’t be as dominant. He’s cast around him. It’s perfect for him. If you are going to be great you will be great regardless but getting drafted by the right organization it’s key to your success. Example Manu Ginobelli and Tony Parker. No way Manu is the same player with another team. The Spurs was Taylor made for him

[@andrewmartin1451]

And we picked Jordan Davis over him😂😂😂😂😂

[@calebhairston4858]

Due to a poor 40 time he slipped to my Ravens

[@LamontChambers-gd4tu]

Go. Ravens

[@kashshhds8824]

If u look at his 40 he ran sideways

[@emanuelgregory6719]

Should of been an eagle

[@draybailey6440]

Nick Chubb is still better than mccaffreey big faster strong and he will be even more elite next year with broke leg he’s Batman

[@fanboy50]

Chubb's not as shifty and skilled a route-runner as McCaffrey. Which is fine; Chubb's an excellent back, and arguably the best pure RB in the league, whereas McCaffrey is almost another Deebo in being as much a WR as he is an RB, but the skillset's not the same, which would make Chubb a less-useful illustration of Hamilton's coverage skills, which is what the video is actually about. Also Chubb's less effective as a receiver because he has to catch passes from Watson. Who sucks.

[@MagnetDzn]

More than half the video wasn’t even Hamilton 😂