Drew Boylhart (thehuddlereport.com) rated Hamlin as a 3rd round talent and R.Johnson as a 1st round talent.
Drew's analysis of Hamlin:
+ A good tackler that uses proper form (heads up, wrap, and drive). He also has good cover skills, and can cover a TE 1-on-1 down the field. He's also smart, a good leader, and will be a fan favorite. He is a consistent player and he will make the big play.
- If he's used as a SS, he'll need to get bigger and stronger. If he's used as a FS, he'll have to refine his coverage skills to cover WRs. Currently, he's a tweener.
Final Analysis:
Drew feels Mike should be drafted in the 3rd round. However, due to his excellent tackling ability, and his ability to tackle in open space, he might be drafted in the 2nd round. Mike's tackling ability will allow him to impact on special teams, and this will cause a team to choose him in the 2nd round instead of the 3rd. Drew says that the WORST case scenario a team will get from Mike is a nickel/dime safety that's also an impact special teamer. The BEST case scenario is he becomes a starting safety that thrills fans with his tackling ability who also impacts on special teams. Drew bases ALL his analysis off of game films. He doesn't go by combine/workout numbers. He ONLY uses game film. However, he advices that we should look at Mike's 10 & 20 yard times and ignore his 40 speed. The 10 & 20 yards times are an indication of how fast a player gets up to full speed, and the 40 is how fast a player is at full speed. The 10 & 20 yard time will give a clearer indication of the impact Mike will have as a safety. On the field, a 4.6 40 player with a faster 10 & 20 time will catch a 4.5 40 player with a slower 10 & 20 time. This is crucial for safeties because it all about quickness, burst, and angles near the LOS and not 40 speed.
Here's his numbers:
PLAYERS HT WT 40yd 10yd SS S&Q VJ BJ 225 EXP SCHOOL
Michael Hamlin 6-2 214 4.5 1.5 4.4 .1 37.5 9.8 17 64.3 Clemson
IMO: The S&Q is Pat Kirwin's ratio of measuring a players true speed. It's calculated by taking the difference between a players 40 time and his short shuttle time. This difference gives an indication of what type of player he is. For instance, a player with a 4.4 40 and 4.4 SS has a S&Q of 0. This indicates that a player if fast but not quick, and is basically a "track" guy. A player with a 4.7 40 and a 3.9 SS has a S&Q of .8, which indicates a player that plays fast. Pat Kirwin's ideal ratio of an impact player has a minimum difference of .5. Mike's S&Q is .1. So, it's something to be aware of when looking for chinks in the armor, and may be a reason he didn't go earlier in the draft.