Eagles sign rookie safety Ryan Hamilton

The Eagles announced today that they've signed local product Ryan Hamilton, a graduate of Council Rock North High School in Newton, PA. He was a starting safety at Vanderbilt, but was injured a couple games into last seasons campaign. Before that he has started 34 straight games and was the teams' co-captain.

Hamilton is 6 feet 2, 210 pounds and he recorded 222 total tackles in his Vanderbilt career. At Council Rock North, Hamilton started for two years and was an all-state and all-area performer.

Scouting report after the jump.

Hamilton had a solid career at Vanderbilt when he was healthy, but it was bookended by a pair of major injuries that he'll have to hope scouts don't consider serious red flags. He missed 10 games in 2009 with a torn pectoral muscle, and was denied a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA despite being redshirted as a freshman due to a severe ankle injury. In between, he was a productive player, highlighted by a 104-tackle junior season that included four interceptions. Three of those came in a win at Ole Miss, including a 79-yard return for a touchdown. Hamilton has good size and adequate speed for his position, though his athleticism isn't going to blow anyone away. If he checks out physically and can show that he's not hampered by his torn pectoral, though, he may at least bring some value on special teams and in the locker room. Hamilton was a defensive co-captain before suffering his injury as a senior, but continued his duties off the field by traveling all season with the team and serving as a coach to less-experienced teammates. Hamilton also has strong bloodlines, as his father was a quarterback at the Naval Academy. He likely would have had trouble getting drafted even before the injury, but if he's healthy there's no reason Hamilton can't contribute in some way to an NFL team.