After last year’s second-half surge, the Seattle Seahawks’ defense is looking to solidify itself as one of the NFL’s best units.
One player who could be integral to that is edge rusher Derick Hall.
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Hall, a 2023 second-round draft pick, didn’t record a sack in his rookie season. But he had a breakout campaign last year, exploding for eight sacks to finish second on the team behind Leonard Williams. Hall also added six tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.
What if the 6-foot-3, 254-pound Hall takes another step forward and reaches double-digit sacks this fall?
That possibility – and what it would mean for the defense overall – is why Seattle Sports’ Mike Salk listed Hall at No. 5 on Brock and Salk’s annual countdown of the most intriguing Seahawks.
“He has the opportunity to go from good to great,” Salk said. “(And if he does), it makes everything else you’re doing so much easier. … It helps if Nwosu isn’t able to contribute much again this year. It helps if DeMarcus Lawrence at this stage in his career is really more of a run stopper and an edge-setter than he is a pass rusher. It helps if (defenses) start to key on Leonard Williams a little bit more in the interior of the defensive line after his big season last year. And (it helps) if Byron Murphy is again more of a run-plugger than a pass rusher.”
Go ball, @derick_hall9. 🏹 pic.twitter.com/VkfiKYBLgR
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 24, 2024
Another leap forward from Hall would be a provide a big boost for Seattle’s edge-rushing corps, which has a good rotation of players but is lacking that elite go-to pass rusher.
“Derick Hall has all the skills, he’s got the body type, he’s got the ability,” Salk said. “… If he pops, this defense will continue to pop. So he is very much a guy that I’ll have my eyes on over the course of this season.”
Listen to the full Brock and Salk conversation at this link or in the audio player at the bottom of this story. Tune into Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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