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WATCH: Kyle Hamilton impresses with first 40-yard dash run

Chandler Vesselsby: Chandler Vessels03/06/22ChandlerVessels
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Safety Kyle Hamilton spent three years at Notre Dame before heading to the NFL. (Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire)

Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton made his presence known in the 40-yard dash Sunday at the NFL Scouting Combine. The talented defensive back finished his first run with an unofficial time of 4.59.

Kyle Hamilton’s 40-yard dash ranked him near the bottom among the safeties to compete in the combine Sunday. In fact, he currently ranks third from last ahead of only Quentin Lake and Juanyeh Thomas. Hamilton also posted a 38-inch vertical jump and a broad jump of 10-feet, 11-inches.

Hamilton joined Notre Dame as a four-star freshman in 2019, making an appearance in all 13 games. He became a starter by his second season and would quickly become one of college football’s biggest defensive stars. The safety battled injuries this past season, resulting in him playing only seven games for the Fighting Irish. However, that hasn’t stopped experts such as ESPN’s Mina Kimes from showering praise on him.

“Kyle Hamilton is the best player in the draft,” Kimes said in a recent appearance on ESPN’s NFL Live. “Maybe more importantly, (he’s) the best player for this moment in football. In response to the explosion of passing in the past decade, defenses are now asking so much out of safeties. More disguise. More versatility. And versatility is what this guy has. He can play deep middle, he can play split safety, he can play in the box, he can play in the slot, he can blitz and he has the size, range and ball skills to do all those things at an elite level. I don’t know how high he’s going to get drafted, but if I was a rebuilding defense, I would want to rebuild the whole thing around this guy.”

Hamilton finished his college career with 138 tackles, eight interceptions and 16 passes defended. He currently ranks as the top safety and No. 3 overall prospect according to CBS Sports’ big board. The site’s most recent mock draft has him going fourth overall to the New York Jets.

Although it wasn’t the best showing for the Notre Dame product at the NFL Combine, he still has another opportunity to impress scouts at the Fighting Irish’s upcoming Pro Day. After that, he’ll wait to see where he goes in the NFL Draft, which is scheduled to begin April 28 in Las Vegas.