Tight end Isaiah Likely and strong safety Kyle Hamilton are like mirrors of each other, in a way. They are the Ravens’ two most versatile players, each possessing the ability to be moved around like a chess piece by their respective coordinator.
You can also use the Swiss army knife analogy, as both players have multiple uses, skills, and abilities. Both 2022 Ravens rookie class members have seen the “Swiss army knife” and “chess piece” labels applied to them.
So, it’s only natural that they go against each other in practice and thus challenge one another to get even better.
“I’ve been going up against Kyle since rookie year,” Likely said.
“In rookie year we had seven straight 1-on-1s every day, to now when we see each other we know this may be the only one (isolated matchup) I get so I can’t have him talking about it (if he wins the matchup) in the locker room or on the sidelines.
“So whether he wins one or I win, we always want to talk and say, hey, why did you do that this certain way? Even after practice today, Kyle and I got together to work on some techniques and go from there.”
Their friendly professional rivalry is mutually beneficial and seems to provide teachable moments every time.
“Win, loss or draw, my rep with Kyle, I feel I always get better,” Likely added.
It must be a lot of fun to watch these two developing young stars compete against each other in practice every day.