EASTON, Pa. -- Malik Hamm, the two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, was selected as the ninth pick in the 2023 United States Football League (USFL) Draft by the Pittsburgh Maulers. 

Hamm was the second pick of the second round of the draft held Wednesday and was the first defensive player selected overall. Hamm is coming off an appearance at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl played on Jan. 28 at The Rose Bowl. 

A native of Baltimore, Hamm was named to the Stats Perform FCS All-America Team and the Associated Press FCS All-America Team in December. He was the 2022 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, an award he also won in his sophomore season of 2019. He started his time on College Hill by earning the Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 2018. Hamm finds himself in esteemed All-Patriot League company, as he is the lone student-athlete in Patriot League football history to secure All-Patriot League laurels on five occasions (four first-team selections and one second-team honoring).
 
Hamm graduates as the school's career sacks leader, and appropriately the final play of the final game of his collegiate career was a game-ending sack of Lehigh's quarterback in a 14-11 win in #Rivalry158 on Nov.  19. Hamm finished with 32 career sacks, bookending his career with 8.5 sacks each in his first and final seasons on College Hill. The Psychology major ranks fourth in the Patriot League annals for career sacks.
 
Hamm played in 48 career games on College Hill, with 46 starts, ending his career with 233 total tackles, 50 tackles for loss (TFL), 12 pass breakups, eight forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and four blocked kicks.