AUBURN | The votes from our subscribers and moderators are in as we continue our Top 20 with a defensive lineman that could be poised for a breakout season.
NO. 18 DERICK HALL
6-3, 230, Sophomore
Gulfport, Miss.
VOTES: Jay G (16), BMatt (15), J Lee (NR), Nate (8), Bunker (NR)
Derick Hall played as a true freshman in Auburn’s first game against Oregon. By the end of the season, he was a starter at two positions. He goes into his sophomore season as player that could have a huge impact on the defense as a pass rusher.
Hall finished his freshman season with just 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and no sacks, but his production could have been much more had he not missed three games with a couple of injuries. Eight of his 13 tackles came over the final five games, which included starts at defensive end against Ole Miss and Alabama and a start at Buck linebacker against Minnesota in the Outback Bowl.
He’ll enter preseason practice competing for the starting Buck position with senior T.D. Moultry, redshirt freshman Colby Wooden, true freshman Romello Height and possibly senior Big Kat Bryant, who started 12 games at Buck last season but may be a better fit at defensive end.
Hall is a bit of an enigma. He’s got the size, speed, quickness and toughness to develop into a much-needed pass rusher, but with four sacks as a senior at Gulfport High School and none last season, he’s yet to put up the type of numbers Auburn needs at the position and hasn’t had since Jeff Holland finished third in the SEC with 10 in 2017.
WHY NO. 8 (Nate): Regardless of how Auburn fans feel about the lack of production from Nick Coe and T.D. Moultry last season, it's still impressive that, as a true freshman, Derick Hall beat them both out as Auburn's best Buck linebacker.
With 2019 team sack leader Marlon Davidson off to the NFL, Hall will now be asked to get to the quarterback at a higher level. He improved game by game, and was praised for his ability to set the edge by veteran teammates. Overall, Hall proved better than Moultry or Coe both in sealing off the run game and hurrying the quarterback. He has the physical tools and experience to improve further in 2020.
If Hall does take another step forward as I expect him to, he'll be a critical piece to complement Auburn's defensive line as it works to replace Davidson and Derrick Brown.
