When the measurements from the Senior Bowl weigh-in came out, La'Raven Clark, Shawn Oakman, and Carl Nassib drew the most praise for their physiques. But perhaps the most surprising number belonged to an FCS cornerback from Northern Iowa by the name of Deiondre Hall.
While he isn't absurdly tall or bulky for a corner, it was his vine-like 34 3/4-inch arms that raised eyebrows of the hundreds of NFL personnel people in Mobile, Ala., for the Senior Bowl.
Some teams, such as the New York Giants, have long favored bigger defensive backs, but after the success of Seattle's almost excessively big "Legion of Boom" more NFL teams have rushed to fill their secondaries with tall and long corners.
That movement could give Hall a boost up draft boards.
Measurables
Height: 6-1 5/8"
Weight: 192
40 Time: 4.57s (projected)
Pros
- Fantastic size for the position.
- Rare arm length and good ball skills let him snag interceptions and break up passes
- Durable, playing in 46 games in his college career
- Versatile, played both safety and corner
- Rangy enough for off-man and strong enough for press coverage
Cons
- Played at a lower level of competition
- Lining up as a corner in Senior Bowl practices, but may be best as a safety.
- Willing in run support, but not the best at it.
- Inconsistent tackler
Prospect Video
Big Board Rankings
CBS - 76th overall
Draft Tek - 131st overall
Does He Fit with the Giants?
I think he does. Even if his best position is safety, he would follow in the footsteps of Antrel Rolle and Bennett Jackson, who are both a bit too big to be corners, but played well at safety -- at least Jackson looked promising until his injury.
Besides, with the Giants depth chart the way it is now, they could always use another talented safety with experience in coverage. That he also has rare length and is a talented ballhawk, with 13 interceptions in his college career, is added benefit.
Final Thoughts
Hall is an interesting prospect. There is an even bigger jump from the FCS level to the NFL than from a big school. However, it is a leap fellow UNI alum David Johnson made last year. And much like Johnson, Hall's week at the Senior Bowl, and the rest of his draft process, will be interesting to watch.