Forget Parsons and Garrett — This Ravens Star Deserves Defensive Player of the Year

Baltimore, MD – June 12, 2025

In an NFL landscape dominated by the flashy names of Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett, one Raven is quietly making a thunderous case to steal the Defensive Player of the Year crown — and his name is Kyle Hamilton.

Now entering his third season, Hamilton isn’t just emerging — he’s erupting. With a toolkit that allows him to play free safety, strong safety, slot corner, and even hybrid linebacker, the former Notre Dame standout has become Baltimore’s most irreplaceable defensive chess piece. According to Pro Football Focus analyst Trevor Sikkema, “This is a Defensive Player of the Year type of talent — somebody who can do everything for you.”

And he’s proven it. From flying into the backfield to disrupt runs to blanketing top slot receivers, Hamilton’s versatility is unmatched. In fact, there are only three players in the past four decades who’ve won DPOY as a safety — Ed Reed, Bob Sanders, and Troy Polamalu. Hamilton has shown flashes of all three.

Fellow PFF analyst Dalton Wasserman went even further: “There are only four or five guys in the conversation for best safety in the NFL, and he’s squarely in it. If you have him No. 1, I have no complaints.”

What’s even more impressive? He’s doing all of this while still on his rookie contract. But don’t expect that to last much longer. With All-Pro credentials stacking up and film that leaves coordinators speechless, Hamilton is lining up for the richest safety contract in league history. “He’s worth every single dollar,” said Sikkema. “His contract extension is about to be massive.”

While the spotlight continues to follow edge rushers in Texas and Cleveland, Baltimore may already house the league’s most complete defender — and the most overlooked.

If voters are watching closely, 2025 could be the year a Raven reclaims the throne Ed Reed once held. And if that happens, don’t say you weren’t warned.