Overview

Position: DL

College: Ohio State

Class: Senior

Age: 23

 

Measurables

Height: 6’2 7/8”

Weight: 299 lbs.

Arm length: 32 1/4″

Hand size: 10 1/8”

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: N/A

10-yard split: N/A

Vertical jump: N/A

Broad jump: N/A

Bench press: N/A

3-cone drill: N/A

Short shuttle: N/A

 

Strengths

Creates natural leverage off the ball. Tremendous overall balance to keep his feet. High motor and effort. Possesses natural athleticism and movement skills. Very good play recognition and reaction time. Very quick to disengage from blocks. Knows how to suddenly disengage for tackles while moving laterally. Plays low and with leverage slanting down the line of scrimmage. Excellent ability to scrape down the line of scrimmage for tackles. Outstanding quickness to peel back towards the ball-carrier for a takedown. Quick hands and accurate attacking the chest of blockers as a run defender. Impressive extension strength when he connects. Gives a subtle lean in one direction to leverage blockers and disengage to opposite way to tackle. Great effort to hold his ground and fight through double teams. Very impressive strength at his size to not be driven back far versus double teams. Able to anchor late and disengage. Strong holding his ground with good technique extending while keeping outside contain. Gives instant effort in pursuit of the ball. Consistently hustles in pursuit towards the sideline. Very strong to finish when he gets his hands on a ball-carrier. Active hands to combat the reach of blockers as a rusher. Churns his feet trying to push the pocket. Shows relentlessness and keeps his feet moving. Has a strong side strike to get past blockers late in the rush. Flashed tremendous strength on power rushes. Great feel for getting a quarterback that slides up in the pocket. Impressive quickness looping as a rusher. Agile on short coverage drops. Shows high competitive intensity. Played outstanding in the first matchup versus Oregon (2024).

 

Weaknesses

Average overall size and length. Blockers connecting from the side can push him off the spot. Can be overpowered in general by bigger blockers that latch on. Can get sealed inside trying to defend outside runs. Good quickness off the ball but does have some late jumps. Would like to see an ability to win early and/or at the snap at a rusher. Want to see him develop rip moves and swim moves rather than just combating with his hands.

 

NFL comparison

D.J. Jones

 

Conclusion

Overall, Hamilton is a quick, high-effort defensive lineman who does a great job defending the run and flashes as a rusher. He should be a versatile option with the skillset to be an undersized nose tackle in an aggressive scheme or a traditional three-technique.

 

Big Board ranking: #77 | Positional ranking: #10