Hall on the way?
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Saturday, March 15th, 2008 at 4:06 pm in Oakland Raiders.
At the NFL scouting combine, cornerback DeAngelo Hall allowed himself to be intercepted in the media “gauntlet” for the expressed purpose of getting himself out of Atlanta.
“I’ll go anywhere,” Hall said. “Anywhere that wants me.”
“Anywhere” in this case is Oakland. ESPN has reported that a deal has been struck in principle for their second-round draft pick in 2008, No. 34 overall. The Newark Star-Ledger reported on Feb. 22 the Giants were offering their first-round pick, No. 31 overall, for Hall, but no deal was ever consummated.
The NFL Network reported Hall was in Oakland Friday taking a physical and meeting with Al Davis, Lane Kiffin and Rob Ryan. (The NFL.com report by Adam Schefter actually reported he was talking to Rex Ryan, but I’m assuming it was Rob).
According to ESPN, the Raiders are prepared to sign Hall to a deal which would pay him slightly less than Asante Samuel, the New England cornerback who received $20 million in guaranteed money from the Philadelphia Eagles. Hall was entering the last year of his contract.
Hall’s scheduled salary for 2008 is $4.22 million and his contract can be voided in 2009.
Hall has 17 career interceptions, including with a high of five last season.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Hall is regarded as one of the most talented and explosive cornerbacks in football. The last time Davis won a Super Bowl, his cornerbacks were Mike Haynes and Lester Hayes, and you just know he is thinking that pairing Hall with Nnamdi Asomugha gives him his best set of corners since then.
Hall comes with some baggage, hence the second-round pick.
Last season, Hall was fined $100,000 by then-coach Bobby Petrino for a sideline meltdown that came after three personal fouls in a game against the Carolina Panthers. He was critical of the organization for cutting veteran defensive tackle Grady Jackson. Although Petrino is gone, Atlanta G.M. Thomas Dimitroff told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he would listen to offers for Hall.
If the Hall deal is completed, the Raiders would have its first-round pick, No. 4 overall, and then nothing else on the first day of the draft. They dealt a third-round pick to New England as part of the trade which allowed them to draft Mario Henderson in the third round last year.
The possibility exists that the Raiders could trade out of the No. 4 spot and get additional picks on the first day. They could also use either Fabian Washington or Stanford Routt as trade bait to fill the void, keeping one of them to become the nickel corner.
