The Jacksonville Jaguars will enter this coming offseason with a lot of needs on both sides of the ball. While the necessity of putting more weapons around quarterback Trevor Lawrence is perhaps more glaring than addressing the defensive side of the ball, this is an elite defensive class with several extremely intriguing prospects that will be available in the top-5.
Jacksonville is unlikely to have the first overall pick again; that will likely fall to the Detroit Lions, who are still winless through 12 weeks. That means the Jags probably won’t be able to pair Josh Allen with Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, but there are still talented options that will be available.
The latest Touchdown Wire mock from Mark Schofield has the team picking third overall and using that pick to select Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton.
There is a case to be made that Kyle Hamilton is the most talented player in this draft, and perhaps the best safety to come out in recent draft cycles. Positional value might take a toll on his overall draft stock, but from where I sit if you have a chance to draft a sideline-to-sideline with his skill-set, you do not hesitate.
Hamilton’s usage speaks to his schematic diversity. He has seen 20% of his snaps aligned as the post safety, and has dropped into that area post-snap 27% of the time. But he has also played as a half-field safety in two-high packages, and can also play underneath, whether in the flats or in hook zones between the hashmarks. Notre Dame even used him as a boundary corner at times as well. This play against Wisconsin might illustrate best what he can do underneath, as he starts in the slot but works to the flat, closing the distance on the receiver with ease:
Jacksonville has a need in their secondary, and Hamilton can go a long way towards fixing that issue.
Hamilton is a versatile safety, and that could be intriguing for the Jaguars. They invested in safety Rayshawn Jenkins this offseason and drafted Andre Cisco, but Cisco hasn’t seen much action this season in favor of Andrew Wingard. Hamilton could likely play either safety spot, and that increases his value for Jacksonville as neither starter has had a particularly impressive season.
His season has been a bit limited, as he suffered a knee injury on Oct. 23 that kept him sidelined for the rest of the season, though it’s possible he could return for a bowl/playoff game. That could be a minor red flag, but it’s hard not to love every aspect of Hamilton’s game. He could be the game-changer this secondary needs.