Alex Hall, Philadelphia Eagle

[PhillyPhanInDC]

What? This guys doesn't get his own thread?

Positives: Tall and rangy player with good straight-line speed, tight midsection and long limbs ... Shows adequate range to drop back in pass coverage, using his change of direction agility to make plays working in space ... Long strider with a quick initial step off the snap, showing the ability to plant-&-drive out of his breaks with no wasted motion ... His ease of movement when changing direction allows him to work down the line in attempts to string plays wide ... Plays with some leverage and can press off blocks ... Very effective blitzer off the edge, playing better when flowing to the play ... Looks faster than his 4.75 clocking ... Shows the hip swerve and turning ability to drop with good angles defending the pass in the short area ... Has sudden quickness getting off the line and the speed to close as a nickel rusher ... Has slowly developed a good feel for blocking schemes and now uses his hands with efficiency to play off blockers ... Good with his counter moves when trying to slip past the offensive tackle and is developing enough of a hand punch to shock smaller blockers ... Adequate tackler who will face up and wrap ball carriers with enough force that he does not need assistance ... Brings his hips and displays sudden moves coming off the edge as a pass rusher ... Special teams standout who serves as the jumper on field goals and extra points ... Has made improvements in the weight room, adding 45 pounds to his frame since his freshman year ... When he drives with his legs and extends his arms, he has good ability to reroute tight ends and backs in the short area passing game ... Because of his slight frame and marginal leg strength, he has become more reliant on using his hands and keeping them active to shed ... Has excellent balance working down the line and does a good job of using his hands to keep blockers from latching on to him and also is effective at clearing his feet in traffic ... Always give good effort on his chase and while he is more of a drag-down tackler than a wrap-up technician, he can easily lasso the ball carrier and sling the opponent to the ground, thanks to his long arms ... Uses a sudden first step to gain advantage on a lethargic blocker, especially when playing on the edge of his opponent ... Has adequate hand usage in attempts to shed, but needs to be more consistent ... Applies excellent backside pressure when he turns the corner ... Needs to play with better concentration, but when he maintains his focus, his energy level is unmatchable ... Has the intelligence to pick things up quickly and grasp a complicated playbook (2.8 grade point average).

Negatives: Has the frame to add at least another fifteen pounds of bulk, but has a high metabolism rate and burns off that weight quickly ... His frame is still lean and undeveloped and he has a small bubble with marginal hamstring muscles and very lean calves (lower frame is built like a basketball player's) ... Needs to play lower in his pads, but shows marginal knee bend when trying to anchor and lacks the lower body strength to hold ground firmly at the point of attack (has much better knee bend on the move than when stationary) ... Does just enough to get by in the training room and must develop better work habits ... Has had concentration issues and will disappear for long stretches, but then come up with a sensational play to excite (lacks consistency) ... Does not have the natural power to defeat the base blocker first and has to rely on his ability to escape ... Not a physical wrap-up tackler, playing more with a drag-down style, which causes him to miss several tackles ... Best when using quickness coming off the edge, but will be instantly neutralized by any of the blocker's power moves ... Can easily take plays from the chalkboard to the playing field, but does not always use the knowledge he possesses (underachiever).

Compares To: ANTHONY SPENCER-Dallas ... Much like Spencer, Hall is going to have to spend his first season in the classroom and weight room. He is a raw talent with great upside, but might be overwhelmed in his first season, considering the level of competition he has faced. He can bring instant value as a situational pass rusher, but it is going to take time converting him from the line to linebacker.

I think they look at this dude strictly as a DE. Feed him some sammiches. Unfortunately for this bastich, he'll always be measured against the glowing memories of Sheldon Brown.

[PhillyPhreak54]

I'm hoping for another Carlos Emmons

[MMH]

So are the Birds.

[Don Ho]

Anthony Spencer?  WTF? 

This guy sounds like the anti-Gocong.  Gocong DE drafted to play LB.  Hall LB moved to DE.  It's all so farged up.

[PhillyPhanInDC]

I think Hall was a pass rushing OLB in Cleveland's 3-4. Either way, he couldn't get on the field ahead of who??? Wimbley (who is now gone) on the one side, and who else on the other?

[reese125]

not defending hall one bit because I never even heard of the guy, but wimbley is a damn good player.... on the browns or not

but it looks like he was backing up the veteran bowens on the left side anyway

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

If he's related to Andy Hall, I'm on board.

[PhillyPhanInDC]

What is infuriating is that if you read the tea leaves, they are probably thinking of him as a "speed ball". I doubt, wait, that's not right, I hope they don't plan on trying dude at the SAM, and just his hand in the ground and try him at DE. If he blows there, cut bait. I had kind of hoped the undersized D-lineman would go with JJ.

[ice grillin you]

look test pass

[PhillyPhreak54]

From King's MMQB:

3. I think the hidden player in the Browns-Eagles deal Friday might just be a factor in Philadelphia. His name is Alex Hall, a seventh-round pick from St. Augustine (N.C.) College in 2008 by then-Cleveland GM Phil Savage.

Savage believes Hall got short-shrift by the Mangini coaching staff, and when Savage got hired by the Eagles as a scout, he got his brain picked by the Eagles staff, and here comes Hall.

I recall writing about the Browns' offseason in 2008, detailing how Cleveland found this kid from a nowhere football school. Here's what I wrote in an offseason team diary three days before the 2008 draft:

This was crazy. Instead of huddling with his gathered scouts in Berea and massaging the draft board, Savage hopped a 10 a.m. flight to Baltimore, rented a car, drove 24 miles to Prince George's Community College, set up four orange cones on a chewed-up open field, and shook hands with one of the most marginal prospects in the 2008 draft: St. Augustine (N.C.) College outside linebacker Alex Hall.

The draft was three days away, and here was Savage, looking at a player he might take in the seventh round, or try to sign as a longshot free-agent. Why? Because Savage trusts his scouts, and one of his pups on the staff, 25-year-old scout Bobby Vega, told him this was the one second-day guy of the linebackers he scouted who could make an impact this year and eventually -- possibly -- be the bookend pass-rusher to Kamerion Wimbley the Browns needed.

Savage had watched some tape and seen production and good speed (26 sacks in three small-college seasons), but now, before committing a precious pick to Hall, needed to see him. Savage placed a football at the end of the line of cones and asked Hall to run in S-curves through the cones and back. Hall ran through the cones, and without being told scooped up the ball in full stride and ran back. The athleticism stunned Savage. He didn't need to see anything else. Vega was right. Hall had a chance to fill a Cleveland void, and he might last 'til the seventh round.

Under coach Romeo Crennel and defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, Hall had some modest success as a rookie -- three sacks -- but was a non-factor after the coaching change to Mangini. "He was productive a couple of years ago and didn't have much of an opportunity last year,'' said Philly GM Howie Roseman. Hall, at about 254 pounds, will be tried as a strongside linebacker for the Eagles, competing with Moise Fokou. Clearly, the Eagles have a need that Hall will have a chance to fill

[Drunkmasterflex]

Not surprising but during the NFL Radio interview Savage was really high on this guy.  He said that those 3 sacks came in 4 games when Willie McGinnest was out after that he didn't get on the field much other than special teams. 

[SunMo]

did they say if they were planning on keeping him at olb or moving him to de?

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

QB.  He'll play Donovan for the scout team on weeks they play the skins.

[PhillyPhreak54]

did they say if they were planning on keeping him at olb or moving him to de?

Andy said LB yesterday, but with an opportunity to put his hand in the dirt.

[Drunkmasterflex]

did they say if they were planning on keeping him at olb or moving him to de?

He is supposed to compete for the SAM job