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#18 - Cincinnatti Bengals
Leon Hall
CB | (5'11You must be registered for see images attach", 193, 4.39) | MICHIGAN
Scouts Grade: 96You must be registered for see images attachSelected by: Cincinnati Bengals
Round: 1
Pick (Overall): 18(18) View by: Round | Player | NCAA School | Position | NFL Team | FlagYou must be registered for see images attach| All Ranked PlayersYou must be registered for see images attach| NFL Draft History You are signed into InsiderYou must be registered for see imagesand have access to the exclusive draft content below.
Strengths: An experienced, savvy and solid all-around cornerback prospect. He's a fluid and smooth athlete. Possesses adequate-to-good size and plays even bigger than his size would indicate. An aggressive and tough cornerback. Shows very good instincts and will do an excellent job of reading quarterbacks' eyes in coverage. He is at his best when working with some cushion. Breaks quickly and shows very good burst when closing on the ball in front of him. He won't shy down from a physical matchup. Fills hard versus the run and has developed into a reliable tackler in space. He shows good lateral mobility and fluid hips. He's a natural playmaker. Displays great ball skills in coverage and also does an excellent job of generating fumbles as an open-field tackler. Very consistent performer. Also has good intangibles and work ethic.
Weaknesses: : Lack of ideal turn-and-run skills is biggest knock. Doesn't play as fast as his 40-time indicates. Lacks the acceleration to recover from mistakes versus faster NFL receivers. Seems to be more comfortable coming forward then he is when asked to turn-and-run in press coverage.
Overall: Hall played in all 13 games (three starts) as a true freshman in 2003 finishing the year with 26 total tackles, one tackle for loss, three interceptions, and six pass breakups. In 2004, he saw action in all 12 games (nine starts) and recorded 48 total tackles, one tackle for loss, two interceptions, 10 pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries. Hall then started all 12 games in 2005, registering 61 total tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, four interceptions, nine pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. In 2006, Hall started all 13 games, finishing with 45 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, three interceptions, 15 pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries. Over the past four seasons, he has also returned 15 punts for 174 yards (11.6 average) and one touchdown. Despite his excellent 40-time, Hall lacks ideal turn-and-run skills, which was exposed in his 2006 matchup versus Ohio State WR Ted Ginn Jr. However, Hall is a physical cover corner with a very good combination of size, athleticism, instincts and ball skills. He will fit best in a zone-heavy scheme in the NFL but he also can succeed playing mostly man-to-man coverage, so long as he gets deep-support versus upper-echelon speed receivers. Hall is big and strong enough to handle bigger NFL receivers one-on-one and he also does a fine job supporting the run. In our opinion, Hall grades out as a mid-first round prospect but in a weak class of cornerbacks he could come off the board in the top-10 picks.