2018 NFL draft: Record-setting Penn State receiver DaeSean Hamilton selected in fourth round
DaeSean Hamilton's draft profile on NFL.com still features an outdated opinion from an AFC team regional scout. The quote praised Hamilton's unquestioned character, but accompanying the compliment was a five-word limitation.
"I think he goes undrafted."
Hamilton proved that wrong Saturday afternoon. Penn State's all-time leading receiver was selected by the Denver Broncos at No. 113 overall in the fourth round of the NFL draft.
Hamilton gives Case Keenum and the Broncos offense an exceptionally polished option who works best out of the slot. The 6-foot-1 pass-catcher called himself "the best route-runner in this class" on NFL Network's Good Morning Football, and he has the experience to back that claim up.
Hamilton was really the Nittany Lions' lone option as a redshirt freshman in 2014, leading the Big Ten with 82 catches (second-most in Penn State single-season history). Hamilton worked through two years of dipped production and dominated as a senior, running a slot fade arguably better than anyone in the country and making in-air adjustments only a fifth-year player would make.
Hamilton's 214 career receptions top Penn State's all-time list, 35 catches clear of Deon Butler's 179. That production, and the work ethic it took him to get there, always had people buzzing.
"He's a guy, probably as much as any guy I've been around in my career, that's maximized his potential through work ethic, through preparation and through attitude," Penn State head coach James Franklin said days before Hamilton's Senior Day.
Added Nittany Lions quarterback Trace McSorley: "He really set an example for guys that if you keep working and make the best of every day. ... over time, you will see those rewards."
Hamilton's reward was a record in September and having his name called Saturday afternoon.
After being labeled as an undrafted to seventh-round flier early in the draft process — after wowing at the East-West Shrine Game and earning a late invitation to the Senior Bowl — the wideout has an NFL home.
This story was originally published April 28, 2018 at 12:43 PM with the headline "2018 NFL draft: Record-setting Penn State receiver DaeSean Hamilton selected in fourth round."