Gabe Hall, IDL Baylor: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Hall was a three-star recruit from Waller High School in Waller, Texas in the class of 2019
Baylor defensive lineman Gabe Hall is picking up traction as a prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft. Hall has one of the most well-built frames in college football, but he needs significant technical development to be an impact player early in his career.
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Gabe Hall, IDL Baylor: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Redshirt senior defensive tackle from Waller, Texas
Background: Hall was a three-star recruit from Waller High School in Waller, Texas in the class of 2019. He was the No. 817 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 791 for On3.com. Hall was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 79 grade out of 100. He produced 41 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, and a pass breakup as a high school senior, earning All-District honors. Hall also competed at the state level in shot put.
Injuries & Off-Field: Missed six games in 2019 with a knee injury, knee injury caused him to redshirt in 2020, didn’t play in 2021 Ole Miss game
Awards: 2022 Honorable Mention All-Big 12
Pros: Frame has room to add mass, appears to have average to slightly above average arm length, impressive upper body strength, quick to engage hands, uses arm length to lockout linemen and establish leverage, some hand counters to work off his long-arm move with, swim move, carries momentum on stunts, lateral pursuit down the line to the football, shows effort in pursuit, uses length to separate and redirect to the ball, gets hands in passing lanes
Cons: Committed three penalties in 2022, injury history will require inspection, undersized for an interior player, a little high-hipped, lacks an explosive first step, pad level rises quickly, lacks bend, stiffness in hips and ankles, pass rush plan and counters are underdeveloped, doesn’t have the suddenness to capitalize on pass rush moves, no way to win a pass rush rep quickly, hand usage needs to be more purposeful, leg drive doesn’t generate displacement, pushed around and physically outmatched on the interior versus the run, sealed inside or out on runs, washed down the line against the run, liability against double teams, needs to separate against the run sooner, minimal change of direction skills and short-area agility, not agile enough to finish one-on-one tackles in space
Overview: Hall primarily lined up at 2-tech, 3-tech, and 4i for Baylor. He has an impressive, muscular frame with room to add mass. Hall appears to have average to slightly above average arm length and impressive upper body strength. He quickly engages his hands and uses his arm length to lockout linemen and establish leverage. Hall works some counters off his long-arm move and sometimes transitions from his bull rush into a swim. The former three-star recruit carries his momentum well on stunts. He shows good efforts in pursuit and flows down the line to the football. Hall uses his arm length to separate and redirect to the ball. He gets his hands in passing lanes when he fails to reach the quarterback. Hall appeared on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List for 2022. According to Feldman, the defensive lineman bench presses 500 pounds, power cleans 465 pounds, squats 650 pounds, trap bar deadlifts 750 pounds, and clocks in at 18.2 miles per hour on the GPS. The Texas native’s injury history will require significant inspection during the pre-draft process. Hall is undersized for an interior player and is a little high-hipped. He lacks an explosive first step and plays with a high pad level. The All-Big 12 honorable mention is stiff in his hips and ankles, which limits his bend. His pass rush plan and counters are underdeveloped, and he doesn’t have the suddenness to capitalize on the limited pass rush moves in his arsenal. Hall doesn’t have a way to win quickly as a pass rusher. His hand usage needs to be more purposeful, especially when attempting to separate from blocks. Hall is pushed around and physically outmatched against the run on the interior. Guards and tackles have little trouble sealing him or washing him down the line. Hall is a liability against double teams. The redshirt senior has minimal change of direction skills and short-area agility, making it difficult to finish one-on-one tackles in space.
Overall, Hall possesses one of the most well-built frames in college football with long arms and strength throughout his body, but he’s more of a raw athlete than a polished defensive end at this point in his career. Hall becomes a liability against the run at times and doesn’t have a clearly defined pass rush plan. His lack of high-end agility, bend, and speed limit his alignment versatility.
Role & Scheme Fit: Penetrating 4-tech or undersized 3-tech on passing downs
Round Projection: Fifth Round
Size: 6'6", 296 lbs. (Unofficial)
Submitted: 05-01-23