The Baltimore Ravens have signed their top pick.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Baltimore has inked Kyle Hamilton to his rookie deal.
The defensive back signed a four-year pact worth a fully guaranteed $16.255M, and he’ll earn a signing bonus worth more than $9M. As Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun points out, this is one of the largest rookie deals in franchise history, rivaling Ronnie Stanley‘s four-year, $20.5M deal in 2018 and Joe Flacco‘s five-year, $11.9M deal in 2008.
Hamilton had a highly productive three-year career at Notre Dame, collecting 138 tackles and eight interceptions. His ability to play multiple positions led to him being a projected top-five pick, but his testing numbers, season-ending knee injury and athletic profile ultimately led to him dropping to Baltimore at No. 15. Hamilton played both safety and linebacker in college, which makes him an ideal fit for Baltimore’s defense.
The Ravens lost safety DeShon Elliott but replaced him with former Saints safety Marcus Williams. There’s a chance Hamilton ends up lining up at linebacker as a rookie. Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald recently described the rookie “as advertised,” with the coach noting that the young player was up for any challenge.
Hamilton is now the sixth rookie to ink a contract with the Ravens. Second-round linebacker David Ojabo is the highest-drafted player who remains unsigned.
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