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P.J. Hall has recently been rising up draft boards. He dominated the FCS while playing defensive tackle at Sam Houston State, so it should come as no surprise that the Bengals brought him in for a visit ahead of the NFL Draft.
Hall is 6’1” and 310 pounds, but the most impressive thing about his NFL resume is his production level. He had 86.5 tackles for a loss and 42 sacks over his college career. I don’t care if that is at FCS level. That is impressive.
He piled up these stats using more than just his strength. His quick twitch off the ball helped him get offensive linemen in poor position. However, last year when he added more weight he seemed to lose some of that speed. It is something that teams may have to consider asking him to change.
When you watch Hall play, it is hard to miss him. He stands out by just how often he is disrupting the offense by getting into the backfield. It is hard to get a real read of just how good he is compared to other defensive tackles in this class, though, due to not seeing him against any NFL comparable talent. He is a good player, but it is hard to justify taking him super early because of that.
While Hall was originally considered a borderline Day 2 pick, it seems like his stock has been rising as we get closer to the draft. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him go fairly early in the third round or late in the second.
The Bengals have been looking to add depth to the defensive tackle position all offseason after the team struggled against the run last year. Players like Andrew Billings and Ryan Glasgow failed to really make an impact, though, there’s still time for them to develop. With that said, the Bengals need a backup plan.
The team started revamping this position by signing defensive tackle Chris Baker in free agency, and they have also brought in first round defensive prospects Vita Vea and Da’Ron Payne for visits.
Clearly, this is a position the Bengals would like to address, and if they choose to wait in the draft, they could view Hall as a guy who could add some real depth in the short term.