Chuck Pagano heaps massive praise onto Kyle Hamilton
Chuck Pagano heaps massive praise onto Kyle Hamilton Chuck Pagano has worked with some elite DBs during his career, but Kyle Hamilton still wows him.
Chuck Pagano is undoubtedly one of the more colorful characters in the NFL coaching fraternity. Part of the reason for that is his penchant for prolific prose. He loves to publicly praise his players.
After five years away from the league and 15 years apart from the Baltimore Ravens, Pagano returns as the Senior Secondary Coach. Pagano looks to revamp and revitalize a unit that spent most of this past season last or next to last in passing yards allowed.
Kyle Hamilton is an elite building block for Pagano to work around. The All-Pro's strong safety is the team's "Swiss army knife;" he can do it all at multiple positions. Pagano provided hype that sounded like it belonged in a summer blockbuster action movie trailer.
"He's an avatar, man. He's a freak," Pagano said while appearing on the team's official podcast The Lounge.
"He's unbelievable, his length, his speed, his size, his coverage for a safety, like he can cover slot receivers. It doesn't matter who it is. Like there's no panic when you watch him out there. It doesn't matter if they got him at nickel, big nickel, safety, dime, from a mental standpoint, he knows all that. He's a great communicator."
Hamilton does not have a nickname yet, so maybe "The Avatar" fits? And maybe what Pagano said here isn't really that much of hype after all? The Ravens' defensive player, Mt. Rushmore, still needs a fourth member. Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Terrell Suggs are the obvious first three, and there is potential for Hamilton to someday develop into the kind of player that could join them in that elite pantheon.
When it comes time to extend his current contract, it is widely thought that he will reset the market's safety position.
Hamilton, 23, is entering his fourth season in the league after going 14th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame. He was first-team All-Pro in 2023 and second-team All-Pro last season. However, his best football could still be in front of him.
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