Baltimore Ravens' Rookie Safety Earns Massive Praise From Defensive Coordinator

The Baltimore Ravens have secured themselves a playoff spot after a tumultuous year that featured blown leads and offensive miscues, but rookie Kyle Hamilton is poised for bigger and better things after this season.

Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald had high praises for the Notre Dame product during an interview with the media ahead of their all-important Week 17 matchup against eternal rivals Pittsburgh Steelers.

"He started to find a good role at dime and nickel in certain situations. And then adding Roquan [Smith]... I can see he's kind of finding a place there at nickel and sometimes at dime [and] a little bit of safety. So, I think [it was] just finding a home for him where he's comfortable and fits his skill set," Macdonald said according to the official transcript.

"Just being able to handle the adversity at the beginning of the season and just keep attacking every day and having the humility to realize there are things he needed to learn, and he did those things."

As a franchise, the Ravens have built a reputation for being the most fearsome defensive team in the league since they debuted in 1996.

Although it took them a while to regain that status, Hamilton has since become an important piece for them.

Touted by many observers as the best prospect in the 2022 NFL draft, Hamilton had big shoes to fill when the Ravens selected him 14th overall as they compared him multiple times to 2004 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and Baltimore icon Ed Reed.

Hamilton started his NFL career slowly as he looked to adjust to the pro game, but he would find his footing quickly.

NFL Rookie Watch on Twitter noted that from Week 3 until Week 13 in 160 coverage snaps, Hamilton only allowed 84 yards, zero touchdowns and was Pro Football Focus' (PFF) highest-graded rookie safety.

He would improve on those numbers in Week 15 against the Cleveland Browns with a sack, two tackles for loss, and a pass deflection, being one of the few bright spots in their 13-3 loss.

Adding linebacker Roquan Smith into the mix and the Ravens have found a recipe for success with Hamilton being a flexible piece in the secondary that can do whatever Macdonald and the coaching staff would ask from him.

The Ravens have been on a roll defensively as a whole and with Hamilton already getting a solid grasp of the playbook, he will look to continue making Baltimore fans proud with his progress.