Why Kyle Hamilton and the Ravens Are a Perfect Match

It’s often said that the NFL is a copycat league.

So, does that mean there will soon be an influx of versatile safeties in the mold of All-Pro Kyle Hamilton?

Not likely, Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy and former NFL executive Randy Mueller told Press Box’s Luke Jackson. It’s not just that Hamilton, who has been described as a unicorn and one of one, has a unique skill set, it’s that the Ravens and Hamilton are a perfect match.

“You’ve got to use them to their strengths, and it just doesn’t happen as much as it should,” Nagy said. “It sounds easy, right? Play to a guy’s strengths, don’t be cookie-cutter. But I think there are a lot of organizations that Kyle Hamilton could’ve [gone] to and they would’ve tried to fit him into a specific scheme and it probably wouldn’t have fit great, and the next thing you know he’s being labeled a bust. That probably would’ve happened in some places, but it hasn’t happened in Baltimore.”

The Ravens use the 6-foot-4, 224-pound Hamilton all over the field to capitalize on his combination of size, physicality and coverage skills. It’s what they envisioned when they selected him 14th overall in 2022.

“There’s a lot of teams when Hamilton came out that he just didn’t fit what they want, so there were teams that passed on that skill set,” Mueller said. “The Ravens have been one to utilize his strengths and minimize the things he doesn’t do great. They should be credited for that, but I don’t think people are going to be looking for that, per se. It’s too much of a spread game, and he’s unique that he can survive in that world, but most at his size can’t.”

Nagy said Hamilton’s success is made possible by continuity in the coaching and personnel ranks creating a shared vision. John Harbaugh is in his 17th season as head coach, and Eric DeCosta is in his sixth season as general manager and has been with…