Kyle Hamilton had one priority at Notre Dame's Pro Day: running the 40-yard dash.

That's the only physical testing the consensus All-America safety did Friday inside the Irish Athletics Center beyond his body measurements.

In his second attempt, Hamilton clocked a time of 4.56 seconds, which nudged ahead of 4.59-second time at the NFL Scouting Combine on March 6.

“I did all right,” Hamilton said shortly after recording his 40 times. “I still didn't do as well as I wanted to do, but it was faster than the combine, so I'll take it.”

Hamilton’s target time was 4.47, a number that’s he was trying to consistently hit in his training at Proactive Sports Performance in Westlake Village, Calif. His improvement to 4.56 would have still left him ranked No. 14 of the 15 safeties who ran 40s at the combine. UCLA’s Quentin Lake tied Hamilton for 15th at the combine with a 4.59.

It remains a bit surprising that Hamilton, who could be selected among the first handful of picks in the first round of the NFL Draft on April 28, doesn’t run faster than more of the other top safety prospects. That’s partially because speed never appeared to be in issue for Hamilton during his three seasons at Notre Dame.

In the end, it might not matter anyways.

"Not too much, honestly,” Hamilton said when asked if NFL teams care about his 40 times. “It is what it is. At the end of the day, we're playing football. But I always want to compete and put up a good time. I'm going to check whatever box needs to be checked and just leave it all out there."

ESPN draft analysts Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. weren't fazed by Hamilton’s time at the combine. In their most recent mock drafts, they both projected the Detroit Lions selecting Hamilton with the No. 2 overall pick. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler forecasted the Atlanta Falcons taking him at No. 8. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah had the Washington Commanders picking Hamilton at No. 11.

The 6-foot-3, 217-pound Hamilton believes that he’s the best player available in this year’s draft.

“Of course I believe that,” Hamilton said. “I feel like everybody should believe that, whether you're predicted seventh round or first round. Without that mindset, you're not going to get very far.

“If I'm thinking, ‘Yeah, I'm probably like the fifth or sixth best player in the draft,’ that's not going to make any team want me or make me want to create and make big plays. I've carried myself that way ever since I started playing sports. Just know you're the best, go compete like the best and show that you're the best.”

Rather than pointing to his 40 time, Hamilton can direct NFL decision makers to the 139 tackles, 16 pass breakups, 8 interceptions and 7.5 tackles for a loss he recorded in his 31 games at Notre Dame. Hamilton missed the final six games of last season with a right knee injury that didn’t require surgery.

Between now and the NFL Draft, which Hamilton will attend in Las Vegas, Hamilton will continue to train in South Bend and make visits with NFL teams for meetings and individual workouts as requested. Since the combine, Hamilton said he’s met with the Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and a few other teams over Zoom. He’s scheduled to meet with the Buffalo Bills soon too.

The whole process might be a bit surreal for Hamilton, who admitted to not fully appreciating everything in the moment. He’s living out a dream, but he’s been programmed to constantly look forward to attain his goals.

When Hamilton was trying to shave hundredths of seconds off his 40 time, he wasn't exactly pinching himself. That time will come.

“Going to Notre Dame still hasn't set in for me, so it'll probably set in a little bit or a long time from now, whenever I actually sit back and realize that I went through this whole process that I've been looking up to since I was five years old,” Hamilton said. “Going to the combine, experiencing all this, going to the draft, getting drafted, it's something I've been dreaming of since I was five and to actually experience it and achieving your goals, it's really cool."

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