Ravens' Kyle Hamilton Tops Safety PFF Ranking

At this point, what more is there to say about Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton that hasn't been said already?

Pretty much everyone who follows the league knows how good Hamilton, the No. 14 overall pick in 2022 out of Notre Dame, truly is. He hits hard, he's very good in coverage, and most importantly of all, he's possibly the most defensive back in the entire league, able to line up virtually everywhere except for defensive line.

If that's not enough to convince someone, then maybe his two All-Pro selections (first-team in 2023 and second-team in 2024) will do the job.

It's no wonder that Hamilton is widely seen as the best safety in the league today. In fact, that's exactly where Pro Football Focus' Zoltán Buday placed Hamilton on his list of the league's top 32 safeties.

"Hamilton showed off his versatility in 2024, moving to free safety for most of the second half of the season after playing mainly in the box or as a slot cornerback initially," Buday wrote. "He was also the most complete safety in the league as the only player at the position to earn at least an 88.0 PFF grade in coverage, run defense and pass rushing."

The best part of Hamilton's rise to stardom is that he's still on his rookie deal, so the Ravens have enjoyed having him at an absolute steal of a cap hit. However, they won't get to enjoy that luxury much longer.

Hamilton is now eligible to sign a massive extension, which will almost certainly make him the highest-paid safety in the league. Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph currently holds that title after signing a four-year, $86 million extension in April, so Hamilton's extension will cost the Ravens a pretty penny. They bought themselves some time by picking up his fifth-year option, which will pay him about $18.6 million in 2026, but sooner or later, they're going to have to get a long-term deal done.

While Hamilton's upcoming deal may be expensive, it will be worth every single penny if he keeps playing the way he has throughout his entire career.