Notre Dame S expected to drop in draft?

Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton is a consensus top-5 pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Or is he?

Throughout the 2021 college season and the first few months of 2022, Hamilton has been widely viewed as one of the best overall prospects available. He’s been mocked as high as No. 1 overall and very rarely outside of the top 10. But as April’s draft nears, perception is beginning to change.

Matt Miller of ESPN now believes that Hamilton could slide.

How far, you ask? Much further than you’d think. Miller sees the possibility of Hamilton sliding all the way into the second half of the first round.

Interesting note from @nfldraftscout on Notre Dame S Kyle Hamilton:

"It's possible he falls all the way into the second half of Round 1. Now, it takes only one team to change that, but the consensus around the league is that a drop is expected." pic.twitter.com/8uOIap7vYU

— The CTB Show (@catchtheblitz) April 1, 2022

Hamilton’s stock has seen a perceived drop due to an underwhelming performance at the NFL Combine followed by a less-than-stellar 40-yard dash time at Notre Dame’s pro day. There are reports that Hamilton clocked in at 4.74, which is a legitimate cause for concern.

If the 4.74 time is accurate, that would mean since 2001, only 38 safety prospects have registered a worse time. And of those 38, only eight were drafted — none prior to Round 5.

There’s obviously no way Hamilton slides that far regardless of his unofficial 40-yard dash time, but it could be the catalyst that leads to the drop Miller anticipates. The question now becomes: does a team value his tape more than his testing or is the testing simply too much of a red flag?

Photo: Oct 30, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Kyle Hamilton (14) watches warm ups before the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports