The 2017 Draft was a difficult one for former General Manager Dave Gettleman, who in some ways was fortunate to not have be to see a class of players who had almost no impact outside of Christian McCaffrey. 2nd round selections Curtis Samuel battled injury and Taylor Moton played as a backup tackle. Both third round Daeshon Hall and 5th round Corn Elder also forfeited their entire rookie seasons to injury.

Carolina’s 2018 preseason game against the Buffalo Bills would be the debut performances both Hall and Elder who ultimately injury redshirted their rookie season.  After looking closely at Hall’s tape primarily against starter Jordan Mills, it looks as if Hall still has a long way to go before we can believe be an effective pass-rusher in the NFL.

Hall, who was selected in the third round out of Texas A&M, had the athleticism and frame that often translated in the NFL. At 6’6” 266 who has a 36” vertical jump, Carolina hopes Hall has some promise as a future replacement for Julius Peppers. The main knock on Hall is that the skillset hasn’t translated into production. Playing opposite of Miles Garrett, Hall only managed 4.5 sacks in his final year at Texas.  Hall currently looks to be third on the depth chart behind Wes Horton and with rookie Marquise Haynes nipping at his heels. 

Defensive end is a difficult position to transition from college to the pros. Unless they happen to be that generational talent likea Julius Peppers or Jadeveon Clowney, it seems to take a couple of years for defensive ends to put on the strength needed to compete in the pros and to figure out those veteran offensive linemen. 

In his 2018 preseason debut versus the Buffalo Bills, Hall didn’t show the strength to shrug off offensive tackle Jordan Mills or the repertoire of moves to frustrate him in the ongoing chess match between defensive end and offensive tackle. Hall was limited to outside speed-rush techniques that never had the explosion required to get by an NFL caliber tackle. There never seemed a threat of an inside swim move that could get Mills moving to his right while Hall countered to the left.

Here are a few plays that show that has yet to become an impact the player. He's #94.

Note: I'm just a fan who likes watching football. If you have a more technical understanding of this film, please do not hesitate to comment below. 

By Tony Dunn
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