Fourth Round (#127 overall) – CB/S Deiondre Hall, Northern Iowa
Grade: B
Of the three defensive backs taken in the 2016 draft, I think Hall has the best chance of developing into an asset on defense. There is some question over his best position at the NFL level, but I think Hall’s an good fit at safety in Fangio’s scheme. He was used at corner, linebacker, and safety in college and flashed potential at all three positions.
Hall has unusual height for a defensive back (6’2) and even more unusual arm length (34″) that gives him the overall length to match up with the tallest of receivers and tight ends. He has excellent ball skill as well with 13 interceptions over the last two seasons.
Unfortunately Hall probably lacks the speed (4.55-4.69) to survive as a corner full-time at the NFL level, which leaves safety as his most likely position with the Bears. Hall has the length, instincts, and ball skills to be an excellent coverage safety and was a very effective tackler at the college level.
His combination of range, coverage skills, and aggressiveness against the run give Hall the ability to be the type of dual-threat safety DC Vic Fangio prefers. The ability to play either in the box or single-deep gives Fangio more flexibility and allows him to disguise his schemes more effectively.
Hall has a legitimate chance to earn the starting safety job across from Adrian Amos, but I don’t think it will happen until 2017 at the earliest. Hall was a dominant defensive back in college, but the jump from DII Northern Iowa to the NFL is significant and it may take Hall a season or two to adjust to the speed of the pro game.
In the short-term, Hall’s tackling ability should be an asset on special teams while his length and versatility could get him some defensive snaps in sub-packages by the 2nd half of his rookie season.
Projected Role: Sub-package and special teams contributor
Projected Stats: 20 tackles, 1 interception, 5 passes defended
Next: RB Jordan Howard