Kyle Hamilton: 'It's Pretty Surreal Being a Baltimore Raven'
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Kyle Hamilton made a splash at Ravens rookie camp.
The team mic'd up the rookie safety with a green dot in his helmet and he got a scare when he heard Mike Macdonald's voice.
“They didn’t give me a warning, so I didn’t know I had it until I came out for practice," Hamilton said. "But the first period we actually used it, Coach Macdonald said something, and ... I had a jump scare because I didn’t know that he was going to be talking to me just yet. But I got used to it. The first time I heard it, I had no clue what he was saying.
"Now, I can kind of identify it pretty quickly. So, it’s a pretty cool nuance to NFL football that I appreciate for sure.”
Overall, Hamilton looked solid and was quick to the football in the early practice. He'll only get better as he gets more used to the system.
Hamilton admittedly still has a lot to learn.
“It’s definitely as hard as I thought it was going to be," he said. "It’s definitely as challenging. But at the same time, I’ve been trying to take a step back through it all, even the most challenging parts this weekend, and just acknowledge the fact that I’m here, and I’m poised to leave whatever mark I will. Hopefully, it’s a good one. I’m pretty confident that it will be, but I’m just excited to be here and be able to perform for a great franchise like this.”
The Ravens weren't in the market for a safety with newly signed Marcus Williams and Chuck Clark patrolling the secondary.
However, they had little choice but to take Hamilton with the 14th overall pick when he fell to them. Some pundits claimed that Hamilton was the best overall player in this year's draft.
Kyle Hamilton was the 14th overall pick in the draft/
Coach John Harbaugh said the Ravens will get Williams, Clark and Hamiton on the field.
"We’re going to run multiple personnel groups, and three safeties have been a big part of what we like to do," Harbaugh said. "So, yes, we’ve got three really good safeties right now. We can play the extra safety at [the] nickel [position], we can play safety at [the] dime [position].
"We can play them at [the] MIKE [position]. All of those guys are going to be on the field, for sure.”
Hamilton has the potential to be a solid NFL player for years to come.
Last season at Notre Dame, Hamilton, 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, had 35 tackles, including two for loss, with three interceptions. He has exceptional range and is a solid hitter. Hamilton has drawn comparisons to Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons.
He fit perfectly into the Ravens system and the team is excited about his upside.
“It’s pretty surreal, just being out here and being a Baltimore Raven," Hamilton said. "It’s a dream come true. I get the opportunity to come out here, get better, make mistakes and learn from them. I have great coaches who have been helping me throughout this weekend, and I’m excited to build on it.”
