In reply to: As well he shouldn't. posted by mocopdx
And several others that very few ever made
tackles for a loss when the runner had a clear path to a first down.
Often times, the plays that a S make you'll never notice in a game.
Hamilton has been every bit as good, likely better, than Teo IMO.
Senior year because you didn’t hear his name much.
Hamilton’s side of the secondary was a no go zone. That’s how he impacts the game.
That would make for a pretty quiet senior year.
"Throw at anyone but him" would be my brilliant strategy if I were an opposing OC.
I agree that he is a great player, and I agree that he did not make as many great plays as you would have expected. It may be that teams were avoiding him quite a bit.
I remember my reaction to hearing that he was #2 or #3 on Kiper's big board during the first game of the season:
"Sure, I guess so."
The last safety drafted in the top 10 was Jamal Adams in 2017 (#6 overall); his highlight reel from LSU was incredible (see link). Before that, it was Mark Barron in 2012 (#7 overall); he had 12 interceptions at Bama and was a unanimous first-team All-American in 2011.
Maybe Hamilton is that great; his talent just hasn't seemed to translate to very many game-changing plays.