Possible Destinations for DaeSean Hamilton

Story posted April 4, 2018 in CommRadio, Sports by Patrick Murphy

Saquon Barkley has dominated Penn State's draft class this year, but other players with promising NFL careers ahead of them may not be getting the attention they deserve. Perhaps nobody else in this class deserves more attention than all-time receptions leader DaeSean Hamilton.

At Penn State, Hamilton was a four-year starter, racking up 214 catches for 2,842 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Hamilton burst on the scene his freshman year with his most productive season, catching the ball 82 times for 899 yards. Hamilton cooled off a bit the next two years as the offense changed a bit, but finished strong with 53 catches for 857 yards as a senior.

Hamilton has been described as a special individual by teammates and coaches, and he leaves Penn State as one of the leaders who deserve to be credited with turning the program around so quickly.

As a draft prospect, Hamilton is a bigger slot receiver, who will be a bigger target than most, but by the same postulate will be a bit less shifty than other slot prospects.

Hamilton is slated by experts as a fourth rounder. By that stage of the draft, teams are looking to draft guys who might fill a specific need, and here are three teams that I think could see DaeSean Hamilton as a guy who can do that:

The New York Jets
The Jets sit toward the top of the fourth round with pick No. 107 which should be a good position to take Hamilton if they want him. Although the charges against Robbie Anderson were dropped, the Jets will still be looking to boost their rather weak receiving core, and should they decide that they may move on from Robbie Anderson, Hamilton would be the ideal value pick. Of course, the Jets could decide to take a receiver earlier, but with the class being deep and lacking star power at the top, it would make sense for the Jets to stock up on stronger players early and find a receiver like Hamilton in the value rounds.

The New England Patriots
DaeSean Hamilton just feels like the kind of player who would thrive with the Patriots. He has great hands, he’s a good route runner, and with recent departures of Danny Amendola and Brandin Cooks, the Patriots will certainly be looking for a receiver or two in this draft. As is the Patriot way, you can expect them to wait a couple rounds before taking any skill position players. There seems to be an interest in Hamilton on the Patriots’ end, but they would likely have to take him toward the end of the third round if they really want him. They may see this as a reach, or just decide on someone else. Either way, it seems like people in New England seem to think Hamilton would make their team better, and the need is certainly there with Tom Brady’s time almost up.

The Buffalo Bills
The Bills offense has plenty of holes to fill heading into this draft, and a good value pick like DaeSean Hamilton would go a long way in filling them. The backfield still looks strong, but Tyrod Taylor is gone, and the already questionable receiving core was thrown into chaos by the recent off-field antics of Zay Jones. While Hamilton isn’t a comparable receiver to Jones, the Bills may look to overcompensate by drafting a number of receivers and hoping a one pans out. If they decide to go that route, they’ll be looking for good receivers in the fourth round as they will probably try to address their larger needs early on. At the very least, Hamilton provides a strong positive presence in the Bills locker room which they should certainly see the value in, given some of the actions of their players in recent years.

 

Patrick Murphy is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email pqm5315@psu.edu.