Confident, Wiser Derick Hall Blossoming as Impact Pass Rusher For Seattle Seahawks

One of the NFL's most improved players, Derick Hall has been a catalyst for the Seahawks rejuvenated pass rush and terrorized the Dolphins in a 24-3 win on Sunday.

Sep 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall makes a tackle against the Miami Dolphins at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images / Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

SEATTLE, Wash. - With no time left on the clock and the Miami Dolphins gifted an extra untimed down from midfield at the end of the second quarter thanks to a penalty on the previous snap, Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker Derick Hall initially didn't look to have a shot at getting to quarterback Skylar Thompson rushing off the left side.

First, a tight end chipped Hall, who then had tackle Austin Jackson peel back to get hands on him. But the blocker didn't stick with him, not knowing that Thompson had vacated the pocket and scrambled to the right, opening the door for the second-year defender to chase him down from behind. With the quarterback unsuspecting of his whereabouts, he blasted the quarterback to close out the half in emphatic fashion with a strip sack to the delight of the sellout crowd at Lumen Field.

Detailing one of the best plays to sum up a dominant defensive performance by the Seahawks in a 24-3 win that improved their record to 3-0 on the season, Hall said his eyes couldn't have gotten bigger once he realized Thompson had no clue he was coming full speed on his trail.

"Huge," Hall smiled. "I think initially just being blocked by the tight end and then the tackle coming back, blocking me too, and I turn around and he still has the ball and I take that beeline, just that extra effort to chase him down there at the end. That's what it takes and that's part of the Seahawks DNA we live by every single day."

Derick Hall said his eyes got "huge" when he saw that Skylar Thompson still had the ball and had no clue he was coming for him from behind. Whole stadium erupted after this big hit on sack. pic.twitter.com/XMfgoJoeKG

— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) September 23, 2024

Quickly emerging as a dynamic pass rusher in coach Mike Macdonald's defense, Hall has followed the footsteps of teammate Boye Mafe by taking a giant leap forward in his second NFL season. As a rookie a year ago, he failed to register a single sack and only had five quarterback hits for the entire season, largely being a disappointing non-factor in a reserve role after being selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Auburn.

But like Mafe, who broke out with nine sacks in 2023 after only recording three in his rookie season, Hall has been a different player in his sophomore season, playing with great confidence and physicality as he has vaulted into a starting role in the absence of Uchenna Nwosu. In the first two weeks in wins over Denver and New England, per Pro Football Focus, he generated six pressures, three quarterback hits, and a sack, providing consistent disruption off the edge.

Taking on a starring role on Sunday in his first career start, Hall took yet another step forward by recording two sacks in the first half alone, setting a new single game career-high before halftime while terrorizing Thompson off the edge with four quarterback hits on six total pressures.

"Derick played a tremendous game," Macdonald told reporters after the game. "Really felt the whole front and how fast they were playing. But playing incredibly physical, incredibly hard, playing smart in how we're hitting the quarterback. No quarterback penalties, but hitting him legal. This is the type of player that you envision. He's a physical guy that can set the edge and drop when necessary. He's just playing at a high level right now, so we're excited about Derick."

Coming into the league after performing at a high level against top-tier SEC competition, Hall admitted on Sunday that he endured growing pains from a mental standpoint during his rookie season. Thinking he was a "really smart guy," he quickly figured out that he didn't know as much as he thought he did and had to learn to study film instead of simply watching it, learning how to prepare for different personnel groupings, shifts, and motions among other important details with the goal of picking up tendencies on the opponent.

Aiding that process, Hall indicated that Mafe and Nwosu have both been incredibly supportive behind the scenes, offering him tips from different perspectives. Having just experienced rookie growing pains himself one year earlier, Mafe helped guide him through the challenges of adapting to facing pro competition last year, while Nwosu has been an active mentor on the practice field even while nursing a sprained knee in the first three weeks of the season.

Away from zeroing in on the mental side of the game, without having to deal with the stresses of the pre-draft process this time around, Hall took to boxing in the offseason to work on his hand quickness, which he has seen pay dividends with his pass rushing counters. The results have been obvious on the field with him winning with far more than just bull rushes, which were his staple at the college level, and better utilizing his athleticism and hands to win at the point of attack.

“I think the big part of it is just knowing what I had to attack going into the offseason," Hall remarked. "Really honing in on that, being able to develop my pass rush and take it to the next level. Having a year under my belt, knowing what to expect, knowing how things are going to flow, having guys that trust in me like Uchenna [Nwosu] and Boye [Mafe]. Then, obviously, the scheme that coach Mike [Macdonald] has put in place for us on the defensive side of the ball, I think it allows the entire defense, but particularly the outside ‘backers, to be really, really effective, game-in and game-out.”

Through three games, with Hall being a major part of the success so far in Macdonald's scheme, per Pro Football Reference, the Seahawks rank second behind only the Vikings with 36 pressures, second behind only the Cowboys in pressure rate (30 percent), and are tied for fifth in the NFL in sacks (11). Individually, Mafe and Hall both rank in the top 17 in the NFL in pressures as well, giving the team a one-two punch they haven't had since Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett.

Of course, skeptics will point to Seattle's competition as a reason to tap the brakes a bit, as Macdonald's squad has faced far from a scary trio of quarterbacks in Thompson, rookie Bo Nix, and Jacoby Brissett and three offensive lines that have been mediocre at best. Specifically, PFF has Miami and New England graded out as 22nd and 28th in pass blocking grades, while Denver jumped up to 13th after an upset win over Tampa Bay.

Regardless of competition, there's no denying Hall's ascendance as the most improved player on the Seahawks roster thus far, as Macdonald appropriately said in the team's post game locker room speech that he's playing with his "hair on fire." Eager to continue improving by week with a relentless motor and a no nonsense approach, with talented teams such as the Lions and 49ers coming up on the schedule, he will have plenty of chances to show his fast start isn't a fluke.