The Chicago Bears need to add some edge rusher help to their defense. One name to keep an eye on is Auburn defensive lineman Derick Hall. What does he bring to the NFL, and what is the best NFL comparison for Derick Hall?
Chicago Bears NFL Draft Profile: Auburn DL, Derick Hall
Derick Hall did not play much as a freshman in 2019, but he broke out in 2020 with 31 pressures as a rotational pass rusher. In 2021 he started and bumped his pressure total up to 43, and then last season improved to 47 pressures.
Hall has 1,959 snaps for the Tigers and 927 pass rush reps. Almost every snap he played was outside the tackle, and he played both wide his hand in the dirt, and up on both of his feet. He did drop into coverage 195 through his career and has experience on his feet off of the ball.
Derick Hall participated in the Senior Bowl, and the NFL combine.
Derick Hall is shorter and a bit thinner than your prototypical edge rusher, but he has long arms that help make up for that. He also has all of the athletic traits needed.
What Derick Hall brings to the NFL
Derick Hall rushes with tenacity. He gets after it with a great first step, and he consistently plays low to the ground. Hall can win with speed, but can also that turn that speed into power, which is where his length impresses and shocks linemen.
Auburn ED Derick Hall was an absolute menace against Mississippi State. pic.twitter.com/P6VlUHoj1p
— Austin Gayle (@austingayle_) November 9, 2022
Hall can twist and stunt, but he does need to work on some of his counters because he relies too much on winning right off of the snap. Beyond that, there will be questions if he can hold up in the run game. He plays with intensity, but he can get washed away at times. Still, his pass-rush intensity provides a floor of a third-down rusher.
NFL Comparison for Derick Hall
The best NFL comparison for Derick Hall is Azeez Ojulari. They have similar athletic and phsyical traits.
Both of them are shorter with longer arms, and that shows for both of them in the way they play. Ojulari was a second round pick back in 2021. Injuries have held him up, but he would be a great outcome for Hall, as he is now starting across from Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Ojulari is active in the run game, but he brings it as a pass rusher, and it shows when he is on the field. Hall could be a second or third rusher on a team that uses him as a trusted rusher.
Should Chicago Bears draft Derick Hall?
According to Mock Draft Database Hall is expected to go right around the 60th pick. The Chicago Bears have three picks right there, and they have a need for an edge rusher, so this will be in consideration. The Chicago Bears will like his intensity and the way he shoots out of a cannon. He also was a captain, which helps.
The question will be if they can live with his run defense. That was a serious issue last season. Still, their free agent moves addressed that, so maybe they add some pass rush with Derick Hall.