Seattle Seahawks Pass Rusher Derick Hall Earns Praise from Coach Mike Macdonald

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald is proud of the progress second-year edge rusher Derick Hall has made in training camp.

Tennessee Titans running back Julius Chestnut (36) runs against Seattle Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall (58) during their game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall hopes to make a leap in his second NFL season, he's been showing that potential through two preseason games.

Hall was a second-round pick out of Auburn last season but failed to record a sack. But based on the improvements he has made in the offseason, coach Mike Macdonald thinks that won't be the case in 2024.

"I'm glad that he's improved his entire game as a football player," Macdonald said. "You can play him all three downs. His fastball is power on the edge, so use it. It's okay to do things that you're good at and then have a changeup. People have all these moves these days off the edge and that's good but there's only so many that you're going to be able to throw. We encourage guys to have their fastball [and] then have a changeup or two off of it. I think you've seen the power and then how we're running our games and how we're kind of rushing four as one. I think he's generating a feel for what we expect and the timing of some of the movements and things like that."

Hall is expected to be part of an edge rusher group on the rise now that they are under a new coaching system on defense. He already has two sacks in the preseason, displaying increased power and speed which seemed to be lacking as a rookie.

"As a whole, I thought our pass rush has improved," Macdonald said. "We have to be careful getting past the quarterback in those step-up lanes, which has happened a few times in the preseason. [That's] not unnatural right now in where we're at with the learning curve and guys rushing the way they were rushing."

If Hall and the Seahawks can improve that pass rush and force opposing quarterbacks to make errant throws, the talented young secondary will also be able to make more plays and make the Seattle defense a terror to play against.