Swiss Army Knife? Rams' Lake Compares Himself To All-Pro Safety

Being able to play so many different positions is a rare trait in the modern NFL, so Lake having that versatility increases his value to the Rams.

In fact, Lake compares his versatility to that of Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, who is just coming off an All-Pro season of his own.

“It was good. It was honestly an honor to show, one, my versatility. But honestly, how much the coaches trusted me,” Lake said. “That was a big thing. How the coaches trusted me to move from safety to nickel, or nickel to safety within a game. But a lot of it comes down to film study, like I said, having the coaches trust you. It was fun being in different spots. My football comparison, not that I want to compare myself to somebody, but really, like Kyle Hamilton, what he was doing on the Ravens defense. I feel like I had a similar role to what he was doing, on the Rams defense. Being able to blitz, cover, be back there coming out of the half, coming out of the middle of the field. It was fun, it was a good time.”

The No. 14 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Hamilton broke out in a huge way this season. The Notre Dame product was one of the biggest standouts on Baltimore's top-ranked defense, racking up 81 total tackles, 13 passes defended and four interceptions.

Lake still has a long way to go before he can even be close to Hamilton's level, but if he keeps developing, he could play a similar Swiss Army knife role for the Rams.