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Day 3 of the NFL has started off with a bang with the Atlanta Falcons making another selection to address the secondary with the pick of San Diego State’s Darren Hall.
Hall led the FBS with 16 pass breakups in 2019. Eric Robinson on the Falcoholic Live show compared him to Damontae Kazee with his ball skills, calling him a physical corner despite his size (5’11, 189 pounds).
Hall demonstrates good footwork and is great at breaking down, reading and diagnosing plays in real time. He did have an issue with blown assignments in the college level, however, something he’ll need to clean up in the NFL.
As Aaron Freeman noted on Twitter, Hall has strong ties to new defensive backs coach Jon Hoke, whose son was his position coach and whose brother is the head coach at San Diego State. Presumably he came with some strong recommendations.
Terry Fontenot has opted to go with another player in the secondary who is aggressive after bolstering the Safety room with Richie Grant in the second round. Hall will have his opportunity, in training camp, to compete for serious playing time this season as Atlanta’s cornerback group is very light beyond last year’s first round pick A.J. Terrell.
The secondary continues to be rebuilt. That’s good news for a Falcons team that need all the help they can get.
Round 1, Pick 4: TE Kyle Pitts, Florida
Round 2, Pick 35: S Richie Grant, UCF
Round 3, Pick 68: OL Jalen Mayfield, Michigan
Round 4, Pick 108: CB Darren Hall, San Diego State
Round 4, Pick 114
Round 5, Pick 148
Round 5, Pick 182
Round 5, Pick 183
Round 6, Pick 187