Explosive Ravens Poised To Secure Two Coveted First-Round Picks In Jaw-Dropping Blockbuster All-Pro Trade Proposal

The idea of trading an All-Pro talent who has consistently had a transformative impact on their defense may seem like madness for the Baltimore Ravens, yet the possibility of getting a pair of first-round draft picks could change their thinking.

It’s the likely haul the Ravens would expect to receive if they dealt ultra-versatile safety Kyle Hamilton, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell. The latter put together a list of players from every NFL team he believes would fetch first-round compensation in trade.

Hamilton made the list, just below franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson, whom Barnwell believes is worth four first-rounders. The Ravens aren’t going to trade Jackson any time soon, but they will need to pay him what is likely to be a history resetting contract.

That’s going to be tricky when Hamilton is also in line to earn a new deal set to wreck the market.

Ravens May Deem Kyle Hamilton Too Risky for the Reward

Dealing Hamilton before the time comes to have to make him the highest-paid safety in the game may seem like effective cost-cutting. Especially if general manager Eric DeCosta got those two first-round choices in return, but there’s a significant risk to trading one of the best pure and multi-faceted athletes in football.

That’s just what Hamilton is after he’s “emerged as one of the most dynamic defensive playmakers in the game,” per Barnwell. Hamilton’s emergence has been quantified by him being “the best player on one of the best defenses of the past decade, the 2023 Ravens, and then transformed Baltimore into an elite unit when coordinator Zach Orr moved him back to free safety in the second half of last season.”

Few have summed up Hamilton’s brilliance as well as The 33rd Team’s Sam Monson. Speaking to his colleague Steve Palazzolo on the “Check the Mic” podcast, Monson called Hamilton a “cheat code weapon.” Somebody who can “play what is effectively three of four different distinct positions and be the best at all of them at the same time.”

Those things allow the Ravens an enviable amount of freedom to disguise coverage and pressure based on what Hamilton is doing. It creates enough value to justify the bounty of extra premium draft capital they are predicted to get in trade.

Especially when, as Barnwell pointed out, Hamilton is “a better player than Jamal Adams was in 2020, when the Seahawks sent two first-round picks to acquire the then-Jets standout.”

The problem with Barnwell’s argument is the Ravens don’t have another player who can do what Hamilton does. His qualities are rare, no matter how many first-round picks DeCosta would have to try and find them again.

Ravens Searching for Other Position-Less Safeties

Finding other safeties able to play multiple spots is proving tough for the Ravens. It’s gotten tougher still after last season’s breakout star Ar’Darius Washington suffered a torn Achilles earlier this offseason.

Washington could play deep safety or slot corner, so the Ravens need more moving pieces on the back end. Perhaps one of this year’s undrafted free agents takes up the challenge, or maybe an eight-year veteran does the same.

Versatility and range are key traits, but it’s how they are applied that counts. Nobody is putting those qualities to such good use in as many ways as Hamilton.

It’s why the Ravens picked up the 24-year-old’s fifth-year option, at the expense of a fellow first-rounder. It’s also why DeCosta is unlikely to countenance any trade for Hamilton, even one offering rewards this rich.