Seattle Seahawks select Derick Hall in second round of 2023 NFL Draft

Auburn Tigers edge rusher Derick Hall has been selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks.

Derick Hall was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2019, according to the On3 Industry Ratings. Additionally, Hall was the 11th ranked edge rusher and the 163rd player overall in his recruiting class.

While at Auburn, Derick Hall was a dominant force. He appeared in 40 games over four seasons. In those games, he made 146 total tackles. Of those, 29.5 were tackles for a loss and 19.5 were sacks. He also forced five fumbles and even had an interception during his college career.

This effort saw Hall earn Second Team All-SEC honors in 2021 and First Team All-SEC honors in 2022.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Derick Hall

NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein broke down Derick Hall ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, comparing Hall to Carl Lawson. An Auburn product himself, Lawson was a fourth round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He showed early promise but injuries, particularly to his ACL and Achilles, have hampered his career.

Zierlein made sure to praise Derick Hall for his character and toughness, which he showed off during his time at Auburn. On top of that, Hall offers excellent length and power, which combine to make him an excellent pass rusher as he collapses the pocket.

At the same time, he struggles against the running game and is too tight at times. In particular, his hips and limbs are tight, which gives him problems. On top of that, he’s really only a pass rusher and can’t be asked to drop into coverage at this point in his career.

“Explosive and long, Hall plays with a rugged demeanor and puts his traits to work as an assertive power rusher capable of putting offensive tackles in reverse. He tends to lack consistency when forced to read and react in the run game and his rush approach is predictable with charges down the fairway,” Zierlein wrote.

“However, his jolting initial contact can help him gain positioning and he’s excellent at transitioning from bulldozer to pocket vulture as a sack artist. He is average against the run, exploitable in coverage and in need of a more diversified rush approach, but a true power rush usually translates in the NFL.”