Safeties First! Ravens' Hamilton, Williams Named PFF's Top Pair
School's out, but the Baltimore Ravens are still earning some top grades and honors.
In listing the top NFL duos at each position (with the exception of the quarterback, center, and special teams roles), Pro Football Focus had special words for Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams, the Ravens' pair at safety. The unique mix of youth and experience worked in their favor and has Baltimore poised for another successful year on the defensive front after ranking third in the category last season.
The 14th overall choice from last year's draft, Hamilton's immediate impact might've gotten lost in the national fold thanks to the impact of Sauce Gardner and later arrivals like Marcus Jones and Tariq Woolen. But he nonetheless left an impact on PFF's numbers, starting 16 games after arriving in Charm City from Notre Dame.
"With all the attention going to Sauce Gardner, Hamilton quietly put together a dominant rookie year of his own, as he led all safeties in PFF grade at 87.6," Jim Wyman writes. "In fact, Hamilton had at least an 83.0 PFF grade in all four major grading categories. He had an 87.7 run defense grade, 85.7 as a pass-rusher, and 83.0 in coverage, giving him about as well-rounded a rookie season as we’ve ever seen."
Williams has long erased the stigma surrounding his negative role in the infamous "Minneapolis Miracle" when he was with New Orleans, tying his career-high with four interceptions last year, his first with Baltimore. His more advanced numbers weren't as impressive but Wyman noted that still ranked highly amongst his peers.
"Williams, on the other hand, is coming off his lowest-ranked PFF grade season since 2018," Wyman said. "He still graded amongst the top 20 safeties in the league with a 73.9 PFF grade."
In terms of other AFC North participation, two pairs of Cleveland Browns made the list: David Njoku and David Akins were named the top tight ends while Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller took home the top ranking at guard.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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