Seahawks edge rusher earns phenomenal PFF grade in first two preseason games

New head coach Mike Macdonald did something unusual for the Seattle Seahawks in the team's first preseason game. He chose to play his defensive starters for two full series. In that time, the Los Angeles Chargers had two straight three-and-outs and did not come close to picking up a first down.

The starters looked good in a vanilla scheme against a team that looks atrocious without their starting quarterback playing. Among the things that stood out in the game for Seattle, though, was the play of second-year edge rusher Derick Hall. He got a sack and three pressures plus he set a hard edge against the run.

That last part is key because the Seahawks were terrible against the run in 2023, ranking 31st in the league in yards allowed rushing per game. While Macdonald's new scheme should help quite a bit, the players simply have to be better too. This includes Hall.

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald says Derick Hall made an all-time great play against the Titans

Hall seemed like a bust of a 2023 second-round draft choice in his rookie season. He was the lowest-graded edge rusher against the run, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and he only got 11 total pressures while missing 12 percent of his tackle attempts. His reputation was that he could stop the run, but instead he got run over.

That has changed in training camp and the preseason. Through two preseason games, both of which Hall has done incredibly well, he is among the highest-graded defensive players in the league with an overall grade of 89.8, the highest among Seattle defenders.

After his fantastic performance in preseason Week 1, Hall had four more pressures, including a sack, in preseason Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans. He also had three run stuffs. He looks ready to make a huge jump from rookie-year awfulness to second-year excellence.

One play in particular - one that Mike Macdonald told the media was an "all-time great play" - Hall set a hard edge against the run, took out the tight end attempting to block him, and Hall then destroyed the pulling guard before making the tackle on the running back. It was the kind of play the Seahawks needed more of in 2023.

Boye Mafe and Uchenna Nwosu are going to start for Seattle at edge rusher. Hall, based on his raw skills and how he has performed in the preseason, needs to get the third-most reps. Fellow backup edge rusher Darrell Taylor needs to sit as much as possible as he cannot stop the run. Hall could be a real factor this year in the Seahawks getting back to the playoffs.

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