Rookie Kyle Hamilton Bounces Back for Ravens

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens rookie Kyle Hamilton has faced lofty expectations as a first-round pick.

But Hamilton is on a learning curve in the NFL and has experienced some growing pains.

After being caught out of position several times in Week 2 against Miami, Hamilton had a bounce-back game against the Patriots.

With the Ravens clinging to a 5-point lead in the fourth quarter, Hamilton punched the ball out of wide receivers Nelson Agholor's hand and Marcus Peters was able to pounce on the ball before it rolled out of bounds.

The Ravens won the game 37-26. 

Hamilton was the Ravens' highest-graded defensive player by Pro Football Focus.

"To see him come up and make that play in that critical moment, was kind of a reward for that," coach John Harbaugh said. "That’s a play that not too many people make, and I’ll also say Marcus Peters … That’s a fumble catch that not too many people are ever going to make either. His ball skills are just one of a kind, so a turning point play in the game. Kyle let a little primordial scream on the sideline there after that, so I think that was a good moment for him.”

Hamilton played 16 snaps (24%) against New England after playing 42 (50%) Week 1 against the Jets and 38 (54%) Week 2 against Miami. 

Harbaugh said too much should be read into the decreased snap count. That's just how the game worked out.

He is confident Hamilton is poised for a big rookie year. 

“He played the plays he had [and] he played really well," Harbaugh said. "We’ll kind of work that every single week. You move guys around; a lot of guys are learning. Kyle [Hamilton] is developing. It’s his third game as an NFL player. Obviously, [he] had a learning experience the week before, as a lot of young guys did and do, especially on the backend. So, he worked hard all week, he had a sense of urgency to try to become a little bit better of a player this week than he was last week, and he became a much better player."