Seventh round picks are the scratch-off lottery tickets of the NFL. Turning one into a rotational, or even contributing member of a football team is exceptionally rare. This draft, the Houston Texans are hoping Kyonte Hamilton can scratch and claw his way to a role on this deep Texans defense.
The former Rutgers defensive tackle and 2020 National Preparatory School Wrestling State Champion was selected with the 224th pick in the NFL Draft. He is the second DT in a row that Houston has selected in the seventh round, the other being Marcus Harris from Auburn. Harris was cut in preseason but landed on the Patriots roster. Hamilton is hoping for a different story this season.
This is my third edition of film breakdowns from the Texans 2025 NFL Draft class. So far we’ve covered WR Jaylin Noel and RB Woody Marks, whose film you can see below.
Jaylin Noel
Woody Marks
Today we are flipping the film to the defensive side of the ball. Finding film on Hamilton was devastatingly tough. Hamilton is number 48 and can be found playing across from the center on most snaps.
Tall and well proportioned, Hamilton flashes agility and several pass rush moves once the ball is snapped. I wouldn’t call him dynamic, which is why he fell to the seventh round, but there’s enough tape here for Houston to throw a late round flier his way. He is a well-rounded defensive tackle who had his best statistical season in 2024, but even so didn’t light up the stat sheet at Rutgers.
The biggest red flag was his performance while being double teamed. In the pass rush he all but stopped his feet and looked to bat down passes. In the run game he never corkscrewed between the blockers or created pile ups at the point of attack. Where he does shine is maintaining gap integrity in zone schemes.
You can see the hand swipe from Kyonte Hamilton against the Center and the space he creates to rush upfield for the sack. pic.twitter.com/1k129IMebI
— Thomas Martinez (@BoltsDraftTalk) April 16, 2025
Based on the film, Rutgers defense highly prioritized gap integrity over interior pass rush. This deters Hamilton from going after the QB on a consistent basis. You see this in lower-tier programs where conservative defensive fronts are predicated on containment rather than impacting the game. He won’t shed blockers and prefers to drive through the contact. He has been taught to use his hands, he lacks consistent hand placement, purpose, or how to capitalize when he does win with his hands.
He primarily plays shaded over the center in the A-gap, but I actually enjoy his tape as a defensive end in Rutgers’ heavy set short yardage packages.
The Fit in Houston:
Hamilton fits the mold of well-built, athletic, and effortful defensive tackles that Houston covets. Hamilton adds youth to a well-seasoned DT room. Based on the film, quality of depth at DT, and necessary improvement Hamilton must achieve, I doubt he finds a roster spot in 2025. His “fit” with the Texans is developing on the practice squad where he can improve and wait out several veterans who are a year or two away from retiring.
What does Hamilton have going for him? Age. He’s 22 and the six players above him on the depth chart are on average 28 and a half years old... two being 31 years old. The Texans know they eventually need to inject some youth into this group.
Strengths:
Played at DE on heavy sets
Utilizes a spin move that can be developed to be more penetrating
High motor typical of a Texans defensive tackle
Gets hands up to block passes when pass rush fails
Sure tackler when RB is in range
Consistently wore down opposing guards and centers to make plays late in games
Weaknesses:
Lacks upfield vision when in contact; needs to pick head up
Shoulders can get turned in the run game forcing him out of the gap
Looks stumped against double teams in pass rush
For a wrestler, doesn’t use hands to manipulate blockers
Can over prioritize gap responsibility vs making a play
Overall Analysis:
Though he has four years of Big 10 experiences, Kyonte Hamilton is not ready for a contributing role with the Houston Texans. There aren't enough tangible moments on film where he is disruptive, particularly on power and gap schemes. He currently sits seventh on the Texans DT depth chart that is filled with experienced and known commodities. I will be surprised if Hamilton comes off of the practice squad this season.
Next week we will be covering off on Jaylin Smith, the cornerback from USC whose role grew considerably this week with Ronald Darby deciding to retire.