Atlanta Falcons: Darren Hall a top-three corner in the NFL this year?

The Atlanta Falcons had a cornerback who had a historic season last year in A.J. Terrell and now second-year corner Darren Hall is having similar success so far this season.

Darren Hall struggled as a rookie but early indications in training camp and preseason this year suggested that he would take a giant leap in his sophomore season, and that is exactly what has happened.

He has been among the league’s best corners and now he will be counted on even more with the injury to Casey Hayward.

Atlanta Falcons second-year CB Darren Hall has been elite this season

Last year, A.J. Terrell went into his second season with the Atlanta Falcons and put up historic numbers at his position, and now this year, the situation is eerily similar for Darren Hall.

Darren Hall currently has the second-highest Pro Football Focus coverage grade among all corners in the NFL with at least 50 coverage snaps.

The only corner that is graded higher is the Patriots’ fourth-round pick from back in April, Jack Jones. Jones has a 91.7 coverage grade while Darren Hall has an 88.4 coverage grade.

The one thing that people may argue is that Hall has not been a starter this year and has not played nearly as many snaps as other players and while that is certainly true, it is still an extremely promising sign for the former San Diego State Aztec.

Going forward, Hall will certainly be asked to play a lot more snaps with Casey Hayward being placed on the IR. In fact, Hall will likely be the starting cornerback opposite of A.J. Terrell, so we will get to see whether or not he can keep up the excellent play in coverage.

Nevertheless, while it hurts to lose a veteran CB like Hayward, we shouldn’t be too worried about it considering how Darren Hall has played when called upon.