Raven Country

Ravens Star Defender Slides on NFL Top 100

This Baltimore Ravens safety is still one of the NFL's elite players, but he takes a slight hit to his ranking.
Nov 7, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton (14) reacts after tips a Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) pass during the first quarter  at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
Nov 7, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton (14) reacts after tips a Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) pass during the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

In this story:


In just three short years, Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton has established himself as a bona fide NFL superstar.

Hamilton, the No. 14 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame, is a true Swiss Army knife for Baltimore. Not only can line up at virtually any position on defense, he can excel at virtually any position. Deep safety, box safety, outside or slot cornerback, linebacker, the list goes on.

Of course, those around the NFL recognize his value as well. Hamilton came in at No. 51 on this year's edition of the NFL Top 100, as voted on by the players.

"I think maybe he had just went out that game and I got put in his position, and I was - a guy came to block and I just thought, 'what would Kyle Hamilton do?'" Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey said.

"He can play any position, that's probably the most impressive thing about him. Whether it's safety, whether it's, you know, linebacker, whether it's slot corner, whether it's outside corner. ... He flies around, he's just instinctually one of the best. He's just so gifted and he shows it every Sunday.

Hamilton actually fell slightly from his No. 43 ranking a year ago, which could be due to him playing almost exclusively as a deep safety in the second half of last season. However, he is still very much along the league's best players.

"You could put Kyle in the box, safety, probably put him at defensive end and he'd still be successful," Ravens receiver Rashod Bateman said. "I think that dude probably saved our life this year. As soon as we moved his position into a spot that we knew that we needed it, our whole defense changed. He's definitely one of our Swiss Army knives on defense, and we know he's going to continue to do great things for us."

Hamilton is the first Raven to appear on this year's list, but with half of the ranking still to go, he surely won't be the last.

Make sure you bookmark Baltimore Ravens On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!


Published
Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

Jon is a lead writer for Baltimore Ravens On SI and contributes to other sites around the network as well. The Tampa native previously worked with sites such as ClutchPoints and GiveMeSport and earned his journalism degree at the University of Central Florida.