5 2022 NFL Draft prospects that may slide in the first round

2022 NFL mock draft; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Kyle Hamilton (14) watches warm ups before the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
2022 NFL mock draft; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Kyle Hamilton (14) watches warm ups before the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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2022 NFL Mock Draft
Nov 30, 2019; Stanford, CA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive back Kyle Hamilton (14) jogs on the field during the second quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /

2022 NFL Draft prospect Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame

At one point in time, Kyle Hamilton was perceived as the top overall prospect in this class and a lock to go within the first three picks. Fast forward to now, and there are some that believe Hamilton could fall into the 20s after a disappointing pre-draft process.

At a bare minimum, he is no longer viewed as a lock to be a top name in this class.

Hamilton is a freaky player with impressive size and coverage ability. On tape, he can play sideline to sideline and can line up anywhere in a secondary. He is effective in the box, playing deep, or manned up against top tight ends.

While his tape backs him up as a top prospect, his athletic testing did him no favors.

No, Hamilton isn’t unathletic, but his overall speed numbers were far lower than most expected. Add in the general devaluation of safeties in today’s game and you suddenly have a prospect who isn’t the top name anymore.

There is a real chance Hamilton falls out of the top 10, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him fall into the teens. His poor athletic tape has cost him, as a lot of teams don’t view him as the best talent in the class anymore.

NFL Draft Day slides are a natural thing in the NFL. Some players are overhyped or have unknown concerns that cause them to fall later into the first round than most expect. Keep an eye on these five NFL Draft prospects, as they have all the makings of the next group of players to go later than most expect.