NFL
By: Edwin Duodu
The New York Jets will have two picks in the top ten in this upcoming draft. Both have to be the right selections if the team wants any chance of continuing a rebuild that sustains success this time around. The fourth overall pick will be the first and possibly the most important in the first round when everything is said and done. ESPN’s Rich Cimini also reports that the Jets “like [Kyle] Hamilton a lot.” Hamilton, a safety from Notre Dame, is widely regarded as one of the best prospects in this upcoming draft. Last season, New York’s secondary ranked 30th in total defense. Selecting Kyle Hamilton would help the team, but is he worth the fourth overall pick?
When you watch Kyle Hamilton on tape, multiple positives stand out about him. Before we dive into those positives, we can’t overlook his massive frame as a safety, which gives him an edge in tackling. He is a defensive back playing in a linebacker’s body, listed at 6’4” and 220 lbs. On the field, what shines most about his game are his instinctual habits to make plays all over the field.
Hamilton does a great job of reading offensive schemes and quickly sniffing out danger before igniting. The top prospect also possesses insanely fluid hips to play as deep-lying safety or man up in the slot. This led him to record 138 total tackles, 16 passes defended, eight interceptions, all while giving up only one touchdown in coverage. Although all these positives help the Jets, they have bigger holes to fill at the fourth spot.
Both the Jet’s defensive and offensive lines weren’t terrible last season, but picking an impact player could put the two units over the hump and essentially change the entire team. This ranges from a spectacular edge rusher to pair with Carl Lawson (who missed the whole season) or a stud offensive lineman to solidify the Jets line. If either Aidan Hutchinson or Kayvon Thibodeaux fall into Joe Douglass’s lap, he can’t pass on an opportunity to select either.
We’ve seen this in the 2019 draft when the San Francisco 49ers selected Nick Bosa. Additionally, Douglass’s philosophy has always been to build through the trenches early, and Evan Neal looks like a can’t-miss prospect at fourth overall. Selecting Neal and possibly moving him to guard would almost complete the dream offensive line that Zach Wilson is probably craving.
Yes, Kyle Hamilton is considered a “Unicorn” for a player of his attributes. However, Douglass is better off waiting at tenth overall to see if he can grab Hamilton off the board, although that chance is improbable. The Atlanta Falcons need safety help and could select him with the eighth overall pick. What works in the Jet’s favor is that this year’s free-agent class for safeties is stacked, meaning they could solve their backend issues before the draft rolls around.
Some targets that would fit Robert Saleh’s defensive scheme include Jessie Bate III, Marcus Williams, Tyrann Mathieu, and Quandre Diggs. Mathieu seems the least likely out of all, but everyone else is attainable. Each defensive back listed above played a crucial role in their teams’ defenses. Plus, the team is projected to have the fifth-most cap space in free agency. Sign one of those impact players, and you don’t have to stress about drafting Kyle Hamilton. If somehow he is still on the board at the tenth spot, there still should be no hesitation in selecting him.
