In this series, I will be previewing the Carolina Panthers’ 2017 draft picks and how I believe they can contribute in their rookie year. Next up is third round pick Daeshon Hall, defensive end from Texas A&M. The former Aggie played outside linebacker early in his college career before transitioning to the defensive line in 2016, and while his role did not change greatly, he was asked to alter how he approached it. During the 2016 season Hall had to rely heavily on his athleticism while he learned the technical side of playing defensive end. Hall will continue to learn and grow throughout training camp and the preseason, as he tells Panthers.com Bryan Strickland:
“I’m getting in the swing of things, learning a new playbook, a new language for the game, but overall it went well, I think I showed that I can retain things, that I’m a smart player and it doesn’t take me long to learn.”
Athleticism
In terms of athletic profiles, Daeshon Hall is a prototypical 4-3 defensive end. He stands at 6-feet 5-inches, 266 pounds and has a pSPARQ score of 129.7 which means that his athleticism ranks in the top 22.4% of NFL defensive ends.
Pass Rush Impact
Because Julius Peppers, Mario Addison, Charles Johnson, and Ryan Delaire will take the majority of pass rushing snaps for the Panthers, Hall won’t be expected to be a big contributor as a pass rusher. Considering both Johnson and Peppers are on the wrong side of 30; Hall could see pass rush snaps to limit their wear or could be asked to take a bigger role if either miss some time with injuries.
Photo Credit: Panthers.com
Hall possess a quick first step, an instinctive ability to keep blockers away from his body and active hands which will allow him to make the most of his pass rushing snaps in 2017. He lacks the pure strength to bull rush and has an issue playing low while rushing the passer but his rip and swim moves are impressive for someone who is still learning to play with his hand in the dirt.
Run Game Impact
The former Aggie will definitely have an impact against the run. While Mario Addison and Julius Peppers are both competent run stoppers, their true strength lie in their ability to get to the quarterback. Meanwhile, Ryan Delaire lacks the skills as a run defender to get the job done, which means that Hall could enter his rookie year as the second-best run stopping defensive end on the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers will likely use Hall as Charles Johnson’s backup considering both are excellent at setting the edge, occupying double teams, and are effort based players. Hall will be brought in on early downs to anchor the second team defensive front and asked to be the primary run stopper while Johnson is on the sideline. Watch Hall (#10) set the edge and force this running back inside to get tackled for a minimal gain.
His main issue as a run stopper is his play recognition. During the 2016 season he was slow to diagnose plays which led to him being a step behind which in turn led to him not making nearly as many plays as he could have. The good news is he was better at diagnosing plays in 2015; meaning he should diagnose plays quicker the longer he plays along the defensive line. Watch the play below. While he is able to maintain his lane, Hall takes too long to recognize the ballcarrier and is a step behind on the tackling opportunity.
Conclusion
Hall won’t be thrown to the wolves and ask to contribute as much as his fellow rookies Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel in 2016. Instead, he will be asked to play a more developmental role, which will be integral to the Panthers defensive line in the years past 2017. Even though he will be asked to focus more on his development this season, he has the raw ability to make an impact when he does see the field. Hall should use the 2017 season to mold his game in a similar fashion to Charles Johnson’s by focusing on building strength and developing his run stopping abilities.
