2022 NFL mock draft: Texans pass on QB in QB-heavy predictions

The Detroit Lions are looking for guys who will go after kneecaps if they need to do so.

At 6-foot-4, Hamilton is a long safety prospect with speed, instincts, range, versatility, and explosiveness to his game. All of those traits are coveted in today’s NFL, but none more so than versatility.

This is a guy who can play the high safety position for your defense and then come down into the box and deliver a game-changing hit.

It’s been tough sledding for the safety position in recent draft classes. The top safety off the board in the 2021 NFL Draft was Miami Dolphins second-round pick Jevon Holland.

Hamilton, when all is said and done, may be too freaky athletically and with his overall upside to pass up on for the Detroit Lions.

Safety is not exactly a position you put atop your priority list if you hold the second pick in the draft. I think Detroit would love to have Kayvon Thibodeaux sitting here if they are not taking a quarterback prospect with the second overall pick (which they could, of course).

The reality is, Detroit is not likely to move off of Jared Goff after one season, though finishing with the second-worst record in the league might make them a little more willing to eat the big dead money hit if they simply have no other choice.

There’s also the reality of Detroit being stuck between a rock and a hard place if they finish with this kind of record — the financial impact of cutting Goff weighed against the likelihood that he had at least something to do with the team playing this poorly.

At any rate, Detroit has a decent amount of picks, and they don’t have to be backed into the proverbial corner here at the QB position.