Though his position is rarely drafted among the top picks, safety Kyle Hamilton is certainly talented enough to warrant a high selection. Learn more about how quality sleep is critical to his career journey as he prepares for the 2022 NFL Draft.

Kyle Hamilton has been around sports his entire life. His dad, Derrick, played professional basketball for 14 years, and his older brother, Tyler, played for the University of Pennsylvania. It seemed like basketball was in the cards for Kyle, too.

“Going into high school, I was pretty skinny. Basketball was what I thought was going to be my future," Kyle said. “I was actually planning on not playing [football] anymore. But I begged my mom to play my sophomore year, and I'm glad I did because after that, FAU came and offered me.”

“That surprised me. I was like, 'Okay, I might as well stick with it,'" Kyle added. “Then got Louisville after that, and then a bunch of other schools leading up to me going to Notre Dame."

Hamilton's very first play at Notre Dame was a memorable one: an interception returned for a touchdown. His career continued to thrive after that — he received First Team All-ACC honors in 2020 and was named consensus All-American in 2021, despite suffering a season-ending injury after seven games. Through it all, sleep has been an essential component in his training and recovery.

“Sleep is one of the most important parts of your health and where your body really rejuvenates and heals itself," Kyle said. “And I think as you get better sleep, with injuries or injury prevention, sleep could definitely influence."

“No matter what happens with the NFL Draft, it's still a blessing at the end of the day," he says. “And to have everybody there, it's kind of whole life's come full circle at that point. But it'll be fun and I think in the moment, it'll be emotional and kind of have your whole life flash before your eyes.

“But after that, it's time to hit the ground running."

Sleep Number is the official sleep+wellness partner of the NFL.  Visit sleepnumber.com/nfl to learn more about how this year's Draft prospects are improving their performance by getting proven quality sleep.

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