The Baltimore Ravens had one of the biggest hauls in the 2022 NFL Draft with a massive 11-man class. Several of its members made significant contributions as rookies as some of them saw the field more as the season went on or as a result of injuries while others were entrenched as starters from Day 1.
The only two that appeared in and started every game were first-round center Tyler Linderbaum and fourth-round punter Jordan Stout. Heading into the 2023 season, even more of them are slated to either join them as starters or at least see a significant increase in their snap count on their respective sides of the ball.
In a recent article, Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson highlighted defenders who he believes are ‘primed for bigger roles in 2023’ and the first two names on the list were a pair of second-year players for the Ravens with defensive back Kyle Hamilton being the first and outside linebacker David Ojabo following right after him.
Hamilton Will Likely Pick Up Where He Left Off
After being widely viewed as one of the safety prospects to come out for the draft in the last decade, the first-rounder didn’t disappoint as a rookie in a dynamic and diverse role where he lined up in various different spots and made his presence felt with impactful plays in a myriad of ways.
According to PFF’s charting metrics, Hamilton’s snaps by alignment during his rookie season included lining up for 354 snaps at slot corner, 106 snaps in the box, 92 snaps at free safety, 36 snaps on the defensive line, and 12 as the wide cornerback.
“His role as a rookie varied considerably throughout the season, ranging from a do-it-all box safety to deeper-lying free safety to safety who spent most of his time matching up with slot weapons,” Monson wrote. “There were some struggles in that menu of assignments, but he earned an 86.7 PFF grade over exactly 600 snaps of action, and he started the final five games of the season.
He believes that the Ravens should have high expectations for Hamilton now that he’s transitioning into a full-time starter following the trade of veteran Chuck Clark in the offseason citing his “exceptional physical tools and the ability to be a difference-maker in their defense” as the main reasons.
“If his final five starts represent his likely playing time going forward, then he should expect to be on the field for at least 250 more snaps in Year 2 than he was his first season,” Monson wrote.
In just a rotational role that didn’t start to truly expand until the second half of the year, Hamilton was able to record 62 total tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, five quarterback hits, five pass deflections, and one forced fumble in 16 games. Now that he’ll hardly, if ever come off the field, his amount of impressive and impactful splash plays could increase exponentially.
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Ojabo Will Have Plenty of Opportunities to Pay Off Ravens Confidence in Him
Monson began his section of text on Ojabo in the article by first commending him on his speedy return to the field after suffering a torn Achilles during his Pro Day in March of last year. He went as far as to call it “remarkable” considering that it is typically an injury that “sidelines players for a full year only kept Ojabo off the field until Week 15”. The former Michigan standout still managed to finish his rookie year with a strip sack on Joe Burrow on just 23 defensive snaps per Pro Football Reference.
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“He now enters Year 2 with a full offseason of recovery to attack his professional career for real,” he wrote. “Baltimore’s defense still has the kind of opportunity for a playmaking at edge rusher as they did when they drafted Ojabo — if not even more opportunity — so he should get plenty of playing time this season alongside Odafe Oweh and Tyus Bowser.”
Given the small sample size of less than a handful of games, Monson thinks “it’s impossible to accurately predict what he will look like”. However, he was so impressed by his ability to recover as quickly from his injury that cause him to slide out of the first round and believes that the Ravens “have tremendous confidence in what he can do going forward”.
Ojabo was one of the brightest standouts during the team’s voluntary and mandatory offseason program according to multiple reports. Even if the Ravens add a veteran edge defender whether it is bringing back 2022 sack leader Justin Houston for a third stint or signing someone else who is established, the 23-year-old pass rusher will see the field early and often in his second season where he could break out in a big way for a championship-ready roster.
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2 Defenders From Ravens 2022 Draft Class ‘Primed for Bigger Roles’