Swiss Army Knife? Rams' Quentin Lake Compares Himself To All-Pro Safety Kyle Hamilton
Los Angeles Rams defensive back Quentin Lake is still finding his footing at the NFL level, as he's started just four games in his first two seasons and played sparingly until late in 2023.
If there's one thing that sticks out about Lake's game, though, it would be his positional versatility. While he's officially listed as a defensive back, he can play all over the field.
“At first it was dime linebacker, or dime money, dime DB. Then it was safety, then it was nickel in one package, then nickel, then safety, and then safety and nickel in the same game,” Lake said in an interview with LAFB Network.
Los Angeles Rams safety Quentin Lake (37) tackles Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett (16) in the third quarter at SoFi Stadium.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Being able to play so many different positions is a rare trait in the modern NFL, so Lake having that versatility increases his value to the Rams.
In fact, Lake compares his versatility to that of Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, who is just coming off an All-Pro season of his own.
“It was good. It was honestly an honor to show, one, my versatility. But honestly, how much the coaches trusted me,” Lake said. “That was a big thing. How the coaches trusted me to move from safety to nickel, or nickel to safety within a game. But a lot of it comes down to film study, like I said, having the coaches trust you. It was fun being in different spots. My football comparison, not that I want to compare myself to somebody, but really, like Kyle Hamilton, what he was doing on the Ravens defense. I feel like I had a similar role to what he was doing, on the Rams defense. Being able to blitz, cover, be back there coming out of the half, coming out of the middle of the field. It was fun, it was a good time.”
The No. 14 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Hamilton broke out in a huge way this season. The Notre Dame product was one of the biggest standouts on Baltimore's top-ranked defense, racking up 81 total tackles, 13 passes defended and four interceptions.
Lake still has a long way to go before he can even be close to Hamilton's level, but if he keeps developing, he could play a similar Swiss Army knife role for the Rams.
