By: Khari Demos

There’s no denying the pure talent and production Kyle Hamilton has. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, the former Golden Domer helped Notre Dame get to the College Football Playoffs as a sophomore during a first-team All-ACC season, then was named a Consensus All-American in 2021. In 31 career games, Hamilton piled up eight interceptions and 16 passes defended.

His range and explosion are a rare blend for a player of his size. Hamilton is far and away considered the top defensive back in the class, as he patrols the secondary as a do-it-all safety. Whether it’s coming downhill in the run game, or covering the back end from sideline to sideline, he has a similar skill set and frame to All-Pros Derwin James and Kam Chancellor.

Then he went to the NFL Combine and showed out. The soon-to-be 21-year-old leaped with a 38-inch vertical, measured 10-feet, 11-inches in the broad jump, as well-timed at 6.90 in the three-cone drill and 4.59 in the 40-yard dash. When a player with elite tape couples that with elite physical tools, you have the makings of a can’t miss prospect. Hamilton is a true prototype player and projects as a safety that can move fluidly in many assignments throughout a defensive backfield.

But the issue for Hamilton in this draft class comes down to value; playing a role on the field that is considered lower in positional value (safety), the Notre Dame product is not a lock to go within the top five because of it. A team like the Detroit Lions, however, should at least ponder over bringing in a player who could be a plug-and-play starter and Pro Bowler.

During Dan Campbell’s first year at the helm, the Lions showed progress but ultimately finished at the bottom of the NFC at 3-13-1. Posting the 29th overall defense in the league last season, Detroit also ranked 24th in pass D, tied for the third-most TD passes allowed, and tied for the fifth-least picks in the NFL.

The Lions did have solid safety play from Tracy Walker last season, but he’s set to hit free agency next week. The team’s other starting safety, Will Harris, is still under contract but he is coming off a rough go in 2021 (42.6 PFF grade). So if selected, Hamilton could upgrade the secondary in an immediate fashion.

Detroit has been trying to figure out its secondary for some time now. The Lions traded former All-Pro Darius Slay in 2020, then took Ohio State corner Jeff Okudah with the No. 3 pick that same year. But through two NFL seasons, the former Buckeye has struggled on the field and has only played in 10 games. Even more directly at Hamilton’s position, the Lions also traded safety Quandre Diggs to Seattle in ’20, and he’s picked up two Pro Bowl selections since then.

And let’s be honest, who would you even consider Detroit’s best defensive player? Amani Oruwariye? Alex Anzalone? Trey Flowers? Charles Harris is coming off a 7.5-sack season, but he too will be heading to the free-agent market. The Lions need an absolute difference maker on D and selecting Hamilton could bring in that caliber of player.

It will be a major move if Detroit selects Hamilton at No. 2. The highest a safety has gone in recent years was when the Jets picked Jamal Adams No. 6 overall in 2017, and the last to go top five was Eric Berry in 2010. And historically, only two others (Eric Turner at No. 3 in 1991, Sean Taylor at No. 5 in 2004) have gone in the top five. Those are some great names to be in conversation with, and Hamilton deserves to be in the same breath as them as the next great safety prospect.

There could be a push to add edge rushers, Aidan Hutchinson or Kayvon Thibodeaux, especially for the former as a Michigan native that dominated just 45 minutes away in Ann Arbor as a Wolverine last fall. And I’m sure as a former tight end Campbell would love to add a presence in the trenches. But Hamilton, in my opinion, is an even more coveted prospect, so the Lions should seriously mull overtaking the ND product.

The post Why the Lions really need to draft Kyle Hamilton appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Rachel Marie Sports – @rachmariesports

With the Detroit Lions announcing hire upon hire upon hire this past week and a half, many are starting to get pretty excited to see what the new front office and coaching staff are going to do in the 2021 draft. Will they trade up for one of the class’ best quarterbacks? Will they sit tight at 7 and draft defense? Here are my top 3 choices keeping in mind a trade up, down, or anything in between is fully possible.

1. Toss up: Justin Fields/Zach Wilson

Over the past week I’ve come to realize that I can’t quite make up my mind when it comes to these 2 quarterback prospects. So, I’ll make my case for both.

Hailing from Ohio State, Justin Fields has been lauded as one of the top quarterbacks hitting the draft in 2021. With a trade up within reason, depending on what the Lions receive in compensation for a Matthew Stafford trade, it would not be unlikely to see the team make a move for the Big 10 star.

Many are already screaming that it would be the right move. According to The Big Lead, “Fields has the measurables. He has the intangibles. He has a history of being patient and overcoming challenges. He has experience carrying the weight of a program on his shoulders. He has learned to overcome disappointment and play through pain”.

In 22 games Fields put up 5,373 passing yards, 63 touchdowns, just 9 interceptions, and an additional 867 yards rushing with 15 rushing touchdowns. This type of play lead to his nomination for the Heisman Trophy in 2020.

With Anthony Lynn taking over at offensive coordinator for the Lions, this pick might just hit. Lynn has spent plenty of time with dual threat quarterbacks having coached Tyrod Taylor in Buffalo and more recently, Justin Herbert, in Los Angeles.

The main component that sets Fields apart from the next quarterback discussed, Zach Wilson, is his experience playing the top tier teams in the NCAA. Ohio State is easily taking on tougher competiton than that of Brigham Young.

Now the case for Zach Wilson. In his 3 seasons with the team at Brigham Young, Wilson notched 3,692 yards, 33 touchdowns vs. 3 interceptions, and an additional 10 touchdowns rushing. He finished his time in college with a 73.4% completion rate.

According to SI All Lions he has “…God-given arm talent that makes him stand out. His ability to throw the deep ball with high-level accuracy is uncanny, and he has all the makings of a special passer”. They even go on in the article to compare some of his completions to that of Patrick Mahomes. A gunslinger. Similar in ways to that of the quarterback that the team will lose, Matthew Stafford.

Will Wilson’s lack of ranked competition leave him a little too raw? With the right coaching staff, the likes of the one the Lions are currently putting together, I lean towards the answer here being no…well, at least, eventually!

2. Ja’Marr Chase

The wide receiver room in Detroit could look pretty empty depending on what happens with their 3 free agent wide receivers this offseason. Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr., and Danny Amendola are all set to hit the market. This has me looking towards one of/if not THE best wide receiver in the draft class, Ja’Marr of LSU.

Although Chase sat out the 2020 season due to Covid19 concerns, it wasn’t really necessary for him to prove anything to anyone after his INCREDIBLE 2019 showing in which he broke the SEC record for receiving yards. An explosive route runner, with equally as impressive body control.

In 2019 Chase finished the year with 84 receptions, 1,780 yards, and 20 touchdowns (which is 9th all time). Although he may not have the elite physicals we are so used to seeing in the league, his speed more than makes up for it. Fansided NFL Mocks notes that, “…Chase ran a 4.4 forty yard dash sometime this year. That number is impressive, but when you consider the fact that he ran a 4.66 forty yard dash in high school, you realize how incredible it truly is. His drastically improved forty-yard dash time is a testament to his work ethic”.

Picture this: the Lions use the cap space saved in trading Matthew Stafford to pay Kenny Golladay and then draft Ja’Marr Chase to play opposite him. One of the greatest contested catch receivers in the game across from one of the youngest and fastest. *full body chills*

3. Micah Parsons

Probably the defensive prospect in this upcoming draft for the Lions is easily Micah Parsons. One of the glaring issues (of many) for the team’s defense was the slow and unruly play of the linebacker corp. Parsons would be an immediate upgrade.

Take it from LionsWire: “Parsons is big (6-3, 245) fast, (estimated to run in the 4.4-4.5 range), agile and while he can play at the MIKE, he has the range to shift all the way outside to the EDGE ”” think Jamie Collins like range, with more power”. That versatility will be paramount, as we’re not exactly sure what style of defense Aaron Glenn is going to put out onto the field.

Over 2 seasons Parsons put up 99 solo tackles, 6.5 sacks (5 of those coming in 2019), and 6 forced fumbles. But what makes that even more of an accomplishment is that Parsons was new to the role at linebacker, as he previously played defensive edge. Many claim that he could be a first round draft pick at that position as well. In his entire run at Penn State Parsons missed just 11 tackles on 188 attempts.

Character issues have been sited in recent news surrounding Parsons. No doubt many teams are following along closely to find out the validity of the recent claims. If the allegations turn out to be true, we will likely see him slip off of teams draft boards completely. Until we know more about how that plays out, per PFF:

The post Detroit Lions Draft: Top 3 choices appeared first on Pro Football Mania.