UDFA Aaron Hall Already Capturing Attention at Carolina Panthers OTAs

The Panthers added seven players in April's draft, and signed nearly twice as many undrafted free agents. There's a young defensive lineman that bears watching.

Aug 28, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils defensive tackle Aaron Hall (99) comes out onto the field before the start of the game against the Elon Phoenix at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images | James Guillory-Imagn Images

In 2024, the Carolina Panthers found quite the performer in wide receiver Jalen Coker, who went undrafted and landed a spot with Dave Canales’s club. He comes a strong second half of 2025 in which he scored a touchdown in four of his last six games, including the playoff tilt with the Los Angeles Rams.

This offseason, the Panthers added 13 undrafted free agents to their roster. And general manager Dan Morgan may have struck gold once again with another young player who was overlooked during the seven-round process in late April.

An undrafted rookie defensive lineman is earning attention in Carolina

The team added 6’4”, 297-pound defensive lineman Aaron Hall, one of three rookie defensive linemen Morgan added post-draft. The others are Parker Petersen (Wisconsin) and Tywone Malone (Ohio State). The former Duke University product has certainly caught the eye of the Panthers’ fifth-round pick from a year ago.

Asked #Panthers DT Cam Jackson about the rookies who have stood out to him so far. He immediately mentioned UDFA DE Aaron Hall.

"I'd say Aaron Hall, for sure. I did not know he was that twitchy."

Asked Jackson to expand on his positive impression of Hall: "Just how he gets off…

— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) May 26, 2026

This was NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein’s pre-draft scouting report of the former Blue Devil, who was projected by Zierlein as being either a seventh-round selection or go undrafted—the latter which proved to be accurate.

“One-gapping interior defensive lineman whose short-area quickness fuels his production. Hall has good length but is an average bender with a narrow base. He can get into gaps with slide-and-go movement and moves well chasing runners down the line. He needs to improve his hand usage to be more consistent at the point of attack. He’s a fluid athlete, which plays into his potential as a move rusher…”

Undrafted DT Aaron Hall could have an impact in 2026

Aaron Hall from Duke is an underrated prospect. 6’4, 296 and excelled as a pass rusher this year. Here are his rankings among iDL in the 26’ Draft

▫️ T-2nd in the country in pressures
▫️ T-1st in TFLs
▫️ 3rd in quick pressures
▫️ 4th highest pressure ratepic.twitter.com/pfwtfDuVVl

— Panthers Pulse (@PanthersPulze) March 20, 2026

Hall saw his playing time increase and production after his first two collegiate seasons. He appeared in just three games in 2021 and 10 contests the following year and combined for a total of 10 tackles and one-half sacks. Over the last three seasons, the two-time team captain amassed a combined 111 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and a forced fumble while knocking down four passes in 40 outings.

Obviously, Hall joins a defensive line room that has added a lot of faces these last two offseasons. There’s free agent additions such as Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III, as well as 2025 fifth-round pick Cam Jackson and promising 2026 second-round selection Lee Hunter—as well as the other two aforementioned rookie free agents.

DT Aaron Hall could be in the right place at the right time

Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

And one or two of these newcomers may be called upon to fill the gap left by Wharton, whose status for 2026 remains unknown after he underwent neck surgery earlier this month.

Led by six-year standout Derrick Brown, Carolina’s defensive front made some strides after a rough year in 2024—most of that minus Brown. Some of the club’s new faces may be part of more improvement this upcoming season.