Seahawks rookie edge rusher Derick Hall gets paid and gets hyped

The Seattle Seahawks enter the final day of mandatory minicamp on Thursday. After that, the team will have another round of voluntary OTAs between the 12th and 14th of June and then the long break before training camp starts in late July. Between the 14th and late July, let’s just hope not much breaking news happens for the Seahawks because that likely means something bad has happened.

But let’s assume that nothing bad will happen. We will think positive thoughts about Tariq Woolen, Abraham Lucas, and Jamal Adams are getting back at the beginning of, or in the middle of, training camp and the preseason. Seattle could be really good this year, but they need all their good players to be healthy for the majority of the games, of course.

Seattle took another promising group of draftees in 2023. Cornerback Devon Witherspoon and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba should be (again, if healthy!) Week 1 starters. But several other players could have extremely impactful roles this year, including edge rusher Derick Hall.

Derick Hall could be the Seattle Seahawks alpha edge rusher in 2023

Hall was a second-round choice, 37th overall, out of the University of Auburn. Over the final two seasons of his college career, Hall had 90 quarterback pressures. He also had an astounding 13.6 pressure-generation rate his last years. Hall is big, fast, and athletic.

Many thought Hall was worthy of taking in the first round. Even the Seahawks had a first-round grade on the edge rusher. So for Hall to fall to the Seahawks in round two is like an early Christmas present for Seattle.

CBS Sports Chris Trapasso named Hall as one of his under-the-radar rookies who could be huge in 2023. In fact, Trapasso says that Hall “will be” the Seattle “alpha” edge rusher at some point this season. To start with, Hall will likely be in a pass rush rotation with Uchenna Nwosu, Darrell Taylor, and Boye Mafe, and Seattle needs at least two of them to be very good in 2023. Nwosu can likely be counted on for a consistent quality pass rush, but Hall might be the second best as he can beat blockers with speed and power.

Seattle also clearly is going to count on Hall for at least four seasons. His rookie contract is extremely unique. 85 percent of his signing bonus will be paid before he begins training camp in July. This equates to $3,085,500. That number is ridiculously high for a second-round draft pick.

But Hall will also get a guaranteed $100,000 in his fourth year (2026). That doesn’t sound like a relative lot of money for an NFL player, but second-round pick guarantees have historically been rare. Guaranteeing money in Hall’s fourth year means the Seahawks will count on him not only in 2023 but 2026, too. Hall is going to be playing in Seattle for a long time, now let’s just hope he is the beast the team expects him to be.