The Jacksonville Jaguars entered the 2021 offseason with a clear objective, aside from drafting Trevor Lawrence: improve the secondary. They did that with the additions of Shaquill Griffin and Rayshawn Jenkins in free agency and Tyson Campbell and Andre Cisco in the draft. Between those additions, and the return of C.J. Henderson, who missed a large chunk of his rookie year with an injury, the Jags have a unit that is solid but young.
It’s for this reason that this 2022 mock draft from Sports Illustrated’s Lorenz Leinweber has the team addressing it again next offseason with its first pick in the draft. Leinweber has the team taking Notre Dame defensive back Kyle Hamilton with the fifth pick.
If there is one blue-chip prospect in the draft, it may be Hamilton who is one of the best safety prospects of the past decade. He combines instincts, athleticism and playmaking which will make him a difference-maker in Duval.
It takes a lot for a safety to see top-five hype, but a quick look into Hamilton explains it all. He has monstrous size at 6-foot-4-inches, 219 pounds, and he made 51 tackles with six pass deflections in 2020 as a full-time starter, though his interception total dropped from four to one.
He has the ability to line up in coverage against big and talented receivers and tight ends due to his size, and his frame combined with his speed allows him to keep up with speedy receivers and break up passes. He also has a quick reaction time in the run game and can plug holes quickly.
He likely projects mostly as a strong safety and could be an eventual replacement for Jenkins if the Jags eventually decided to go in that direction, but if Cisco’s development is slow as a rookie, he could see action in the free safety spot, as well.
Jacksonville fans will certainly hope the team isn’t picking in the top five again next year, but if it does, it could have the opportunity to take a very unique safety prospect.
