In the second round of the 2018 draft, Jon Gruden and the rest of the front office took a chance on a highly athletic and productive defensive tackle from Sam Houston State. P.J. Hall was quite a surprising pick in the second round, considering he wasn’t even invited to the NFL Combine. However, the front office was convinced that he would become a star in the NFL.
Through two years, Hall has started 18 games in the NFL and has appeared in 30 altogether. However, he has just 1.5 sacks and only seven quarterback hits.
With the team adding to their defensive line this offseason, could his job be in jeopardy? In a recent article by ESPN, Paul Gutierrez named Hall as a player who is on the roster bubble heading into training camp. Take a look at his thoughts on the third-year defensive tackle below:
Sure, the 2018 second-rounder played in all 16 games last season and started 12. But many in the organization wonder whether he has played up to his heady draft standing. Or did you miss Las Vegas raiding the Cowboys’ defensive tackle room to sign Maliek Collins and Daniel Ross in free agency within a week of each other this spring? And with veteran Johnathan Hankins entrenched as one starter and Maurice Hurst emerging as more of an interior pass-rushing threat (the 2018 fifth-rounder has 7.5 career sacks to Hall’s 1.5), warning signs are all around Hall.
Hall was called out earlier this offseason by general manager Mike Mayock, who hinted that Hall’s work ethic will be tested under new defensive line coach Rod Marinelli. If Hall doesn’t buy into Marinelli’s coaching, it’s not hard to see the team moving on from him considering his lack of success so far in the NFL.
Not everything is bleak for Hall, however. Marinelli prefers speed and athleticism at the defensive tackle position and that is certainly something Hall has in his toolbox. At his 2018 Pro Day, Hall ran somewhere between 4.71 and 4.83 in the 40-yard dash, according to NFL.com’s Gil Brandt. He’s got the explosion and quickness to be the perfect one technique in Paul Guenther’s 4-3 defense.
Keep an eye on Hall during training camp and the preseason as he enters the most pivotal year of his career. Hall could easily wind up as the team’s starting defensive tackle next to Maliek Collins or off the roster entirely. Hall is in for a make-or-break season in 2020.
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