2022 Cowboys scouting report: Houston EDGE Logan Hall

After Randy Gregory left the Cowboys in free agency, EDGE has become a position of need in Dallas. Today, we look at Houston’s Logan Hall.

Name: Logan Hall
Position: EDGE
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 283 pounds

Combine Results: 4.88 40-yard dash, 30” vertical jump, 7.25 3-cone drill, 4.44 short shuttle

As far as edge players in this draft that Dallas could realistically get, Logan Hall is one of my favorites. When he first committed to Houston, Hall was extremely undersized for the position at 218 pounds. He gradually added mass to his frame over his first three years, while largely playing a rotational role behind standout Payton Turner, who was selected in the first round of last year’s draft.

Coming into 2021, Hall had reached his current ~280 pound size and was ready to take over for Turner. Houston, whose defense as a whole enjoyed significant improvements last year, used Hall all over the line. Hall saw most of his snaps as an end in base looks and as a 3-tech tackle in pass rushing downs, but he did everything. And it yielded a career year for Hall, with six sacks and 13 tackles for loss.

While Hall has not been added to the Cowboys’ list of 30 official pre-draft visits, they do seem to have interest in the player. Defensive line coach Aden Durde was in attendance at the Houston pro day, along with area scout Sam Garza:

Burst: Hall’s burst surprised me the most. For how big he is, Hall explodes off the line of scrimmage and has so much suddenness to his first step. He dominated guards and centers when lined up inside just because of how explosive he was. Tackles generally had a better time handling him, but Hall still displayed great burst off the edge as well.

Footwork: Hall still moves his feet like he’s that same 218-pounder who committed to Houston, which is to say he’s very bendy. This is why Hall appeals so much to me as an EDGE rather than an interior defender. He does a great job of positioning himself to get around tackles and also showed an adept ability to reduce inside if the tackle gets to the edge first.

Hand Technique: As you might expect from someone this big, Hall has thunderous hands. He does a great job of striking with power, aided by his exceptional burst, and a lot of his wins as an edge rusher came with how well he uses his hands.

Pass Rush Moves: Getting to be a starter this past year finally gave Hall the opportunity to show off his pass rush moves, and he’s got a lot of them. Naturally, Hall has his most success with power moves but he’s demonstrated an ability to win with finesse too. Hall needs to do a better job of transitioning between moves when his first one doesn’t work, but that comes with experience. For now, the fact that Hall has such an extensive repertoire is impressive.

Lateral Agility: Hall has great lateral agility for his size, with that last part being the qualifier. Other EDGE prospects in this draft that are lighter will outshine Hall in this regard, but it’s hardly a weakness for him. Hall does a great job of rerouting and moving laterally across the line of scrimmage, in part due to his precise footwork.

Athleticism: It’s funny, when you calculate Hall’s relative athletic score (RAS) as an interior defensive lineman he comes away with an elite 9.82 score, placing in the 90th percentile or higher in nearly every category. However, as an EDGE Hall has a 7.39 score, which is still good but not elite. Part of this is due to the other EDGE prospects in this class being freaks of nature, but it also has to do with Hall’s size. That will impact some peoples’ perceptions of Hall’s athleticism, but Hall’s tape doesn’t suggest any sort of athletic limitations.

Run Defense: Hall is an elite run defender. Or, at least he was in college. There will undoubtedly be a learning curve for him in the NFL, but Hall’s reps as an edge setter on run plays are exquisite. He does a great job of reading the backfield and moving laterally to get to the ball-carrier. His large frame and burst also help in this regard.

Processing: Hall played just about every position on the line of scrimmage for Houston and thrived in that role, which speaks to his understanding of the playbook. As an edge rusher, Hall does a good job of setting the tackle up for his pass rush move and executes his rush plan well. Hall was also very adept at reading the play and reacting as necessary,

Intangibles: Hall’s arms measured in at a relatively disappointing 32 3/4” which was a surprise because he looked to be much longer than that on film. Even so, Hall has a massive frame that he’s done well to fully fill out at this point. As far as play demeanor, Hall goes full speed on every snap and plays to the whistle. That’s especially commendable given how many positions he played this last year.

There are two major factors working against Hall in this draft. The first is that at 283 pounds, Hall is a bit of a tweener and that’s only furthered by his versatile usage at Houston. Many teams will feel that Hall is too big to play the edge and too small to play inside. That limits his potential fits for teams. The second factor is that this EDGE class is loaded with unprecedented levels of pure speed and athleticism, which dilutes how good Hall is by comparison.

Looking at Hall under the guise of the Cowboys, though, he seems like a dream come true. Dan Quinn enjoyed a career renaissance last year by employing a multiple hybrid defense, so Hall’s versatility only endears him to this team. He has the traits to thrive on the edge and his run defense is something Dallas sorely needs right now, too.

With the way this EDGE class is shaping up, Hall currently projects to be a second round pick. Of course, teams who don’t share the concerns about his fit could value him higher than that, but Hall figures to be a very realistic candidate for the Cowboys with their second round pick.