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There are many who don’t think the Baltimore Ravens won the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. General manager Eric DeCosta made a couple of trades, earned himself an extra pick in the opening round and came away with two prospects considered the best at their respective positions.
One of those picks has already drawn comparisons to a former Ravens Super Bowl winner, perennial Pro-Bowler and Pro Football Hall of Famer. It’s a lofty comparison, but one many believe this rookie will merit.
In fact, one analyst thinks the Ravens drafted the one player in this class “most likely to become an All-Pro” in the NFL.
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Ravens Binged on Value in Round 1
DeCosta stayed true to his board and the best player available philosophy. His patience was rewarded when the Raven stayed put and selected Kyle Hamilton 14th overall.
The safety, who was a star for Notre Dame, was the best value pick of the first day, according to NFL Network’s analytics expert Cynthia Frelund. She’s already made a bold prediction and set a heady goal for Hamilton’s career at the next level: “Before the picking even started Thursday night, my models rated Hamilton as the prospect in this year’s class most likely to become an All-Pro. And then he became a Raven at No. 14 overall, and the fit created a noticeable win-share lift.”
Frelund went on to explain how the numbers project Hamilton improving the Ravens: “A very good rookie safety win-share increase is 0.58 wins (looking over a 10-season sample); Hamilton on a team like the Cowboys, who have many solid pieces but need a safety, would have been 0.74. But on the Ravens? The win-total increase is 0.78, which is the highest for any team.”
Landing Hamilton means the Ravens can employ more big-nickel, three-safety sets in 2022. His range and penchant for creating negative plays for offenses will be an asset alongside Chuck Clark and free-agent arrival Marcus Williams.
Putting a trio of playmaking safeties on the field is something Frelund thinks is vital for stopping some of the game’s best quarterbacks, including Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals. That’s a timely reminder for the Ravens, who gave up seven touchdown passes and 941 yards through the air to Burrow and the Bengals during two lopsided defeats last season.
The bad memories for Baltimore’s defense were referenced by Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic on Draft night:
Selecting Hamilton and signing Williams are the first steps to correcting problems like those experienced against AFC Champions Cincinnati a year ago. The next is the return to full health of starting cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey, both of whom suffered serious injuries in 2021.
Things will go easier for Peters and Humphrey with the safety level reinforced by Hamilton’s active presence. Hamilton registered 7.5 tackles for loss and snatched eight interceptions during three seasons with the Fighting Irish, per Sports Reference.
As much as the numbers, Hamilton’s value stems from the ability to “be disruptive at different levels,” a quality highlighted by ESPN’s Matt Bowen:
Plays like this have seen Hamilton likened to the best safety in Ravens’ history by some draft scribes, including Touchdown Wire‘s Doug Farrar: “The Ravens haven’t had a safety this good since Ed Reed.”
Farrar was one of many who awarded the Ravens the highest grade for their work in the first round. That work wasn’t limited to taking Hamilton because DeCosta also landed another potential blue-chipper.
New Ravens Get Top Grades
Frelund wasn’t just impressed with the decision to take Hamilton off the board. She also liked how the Ravens’ second pick in the opening round, center Tyler Linderbaum, 25th overall, reflected her own thinking about this class:
Observers being left wowed by what the Ravens managed was a common theme when grades were being handed out for the first round. An A+ was the verdict of Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski, while NFL.com Draft analyst Chad Reuter also dished out top marks.
Tougher grading came from Pete Prisco of CBS Sports, but he still gave out a B for the decision to choose Linderbaum. Prisco believes the former Iowa mainstay, who like Hamilton, is considered by many the best at his position in this class, will play over the ball in Baltimore “for a long time.”
Like Hamilton, Linderbaum compares favorably to another former Ravens’ great. In this case, the comparison involves Marshal Yanda, the dominant guard who went to eight Pro Bowls during his stellar career, per DeCosta.
The GM played the first round beautifully, trading back twice, with the Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills, to still be in a position to take Linderbaum. That was smart manoeuvring, but staying at 14 and swooping when Hamilton was sitting there will define this draft.
If he’s as good as Frelund predicts, the Ravens will be more than happy.
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