DeAngelo Hall Talks NFL Offseason Storylines, DB Mount Rushmore & Virginia Tech

Hard Rock Bet recently had the opportunity to catch up with former NFL first-round pick and three-time Pro Bowl defensive back DeAngelo Hall to discuss some of the biggest storylines heading into the 2026 NFL season. Hall shared his thoughts on offseason moves around the league, quarterback battles, blockbuster trades, the state of his former teams, and the players he’s most excited to watch this season. He also reflected on his playing career, offered insight into coaching and player development, and revealed his Mount Rushmore of NFL defensive backs.

What are your overall thoughts on how the Atlanta Falcons have attacked the offseason?

Look, I have to start by saying I was a little bit disappointed that my man Raheem Morris didn’t get another year after that great finish to the season.

I love Matt Ryan at the president position. Having former players in the front office is like the NBA model. I think more teams need to go down this route. Having former players in this position is great because they know the most about football. They know what a roster should look like and which players will fit into their scheme.

So, I love the Matt Ryan hire.

While I’m a huge Raheem Morris fan, I have to respect Kevin Stefanski and his resume. He did great in Cleveland, which is a tough job, and he’s a two-time NFL Coach of the Year.

Looking at the current state of the roster, it’s clear that Stefanski is getting ready to run the football.

They already have one of the best running backs in the league in Bijan Robinson. They then signed Brian Robinson Jr. They got another tight end to go with Kyle Pitts by bringing Austin Hooper back to Atlanta. So, we will probably see a little more 12 personnel from the Falcons in 2026.

They also added some speed by signing Olamide Zaccheaus in free agency and drafting Zachariah Branch out of Georgia.

On defense, they brought in A.J. Terrell’s younger brother, Avieon Terrell, who is a corner as well. So, they’ve brought in a lot of speed and depth on both sides of the football.

I like the signing of Tua Tagovailoa too. I think Michael Penix Jr. will win the quarterback battle, but you still want competition. Competition brings the best out of guys.

The front office has done a great job of adding depth this offseason. That division is pretty wide open, too. I know the Carolina Panthers won it last year, but it’s definitely up for grabs again this year.

James Pearce Jr. has had legal issues off the field in 2026. How tough can it be for a team to handle situations like these?

It just takes the focus off ‌football. When you’re part of an NFL organization or any sort of team, it is everybody’s job to make sure all focus is going towards competing on the field or on the court. This is just another distraction.

I don’t know the full details, but anytime you’re answering questions that aren’t related to football, it’s a distraction, whether you admit it or not. Guys in the locker room will be told to say it isn’t and that they’re focused, but that’s not completely true.

I know when I’ve been in that situation, it just takes the focus off of going out there and winning football games.

The Falcons are no stranger to controversy over the years, unfortunately, but I’m definitely rooting for those guys in the locker room. I hope they can stay locked in and focused on the goal.

They’ve got a good coaching staff that they’ve put together, and they have some veterans on the team. So, it’s definitely going to be on those guys to make sure everyone remains focused from the top down, and that they control the controllables.

Distractions happen throughout the year. You just have to put your head in the sand and go to work.

How excited should Las Vegas Raiders fans be with Klint Kubiak leading the team?

I think Klint Kubiak’s impact on the Raiders could be like Ben Johnson’s impact on the Chicago Bears last season.

Klint is one of those creative playcallers. He just has a really good feel for what his team can do. He’s great at putting guys in position to go out there and make plays.

When you look at what the Raiders are trying to do with their roster, it’s great that they’ve brought in a coach who understands how to put his guys in position. That’s the most important thing in the NFL. A lot of guys can play, but sometimes they’re in systems and schemes that don’t always bring out the best in what they can do.

Klint is one of those coaches who will figure out what everybody on that roster can do, and he’ll put them in the best position to succeed.

The proof is in the pudding. Look at what he did with the Seattle Seahawks and how he got them rolling on offense. He’ll do the same in Las Vegas.

You were a teammate of Kirk Cousins, who is now part of the Raiders. What did you think of this move?

Captain Kirk is a veteran quarterback in this league. I watched him and Robert Griffin III walk into the building at the same time, and I would’ve been surprised if someone told me then that Kirk Cousins would still be having a great career in 2026.

But that dude has worked his butt off, and he’s one of the best leaders that I’ve been around. With all of his experience, I think Cousins and Fernando Mendoza will be a really good team.

I know Mendoza is the quarterback of the future, but you can rely on Kirk to go win some games while teaching the young guy how to be a pro.

Mendoza is already light years ahead of a lot of the rookies who come into the NFL, but there’s no better guy to mentor a young quarterback than Kirk Cousins.

By bringing Kirk in and letting Mendoza learn from him, the Raiders got it right.

What did you make of the Washington Commanders’ decision to draft Sonny Styles in this year’s draft? What impact can he have on Dan Quinn’s defense?

He is a freaky athlete. He is a guy who can just make all types of plays all over the field.

For the Commanders, it’s just a great situation. They had Bobby Wagner, who will have a gold jacket after his career, in the middle of that defense for a couple of years. He is one of the best pros I’ve seen in a long time. Now they’ve replaced him with Styles, who is a freak athlete.

Wagner is still a free agent. The Commanders could be in a perfect situation if they can find a way to bring him back. He’d be able to teach Styles the process of becoming a great player in the NFL. Styles would learn a lot from Wagner when it comes to how to be a pro, how to take care of his body, and how to break down film.

Athletically, there’s not much that Styles can’t do. He actually reminds me of a young Bobby Wagner when he came into the NFL. Wagner could run with tight ends and cover game receivers as well.

Styles can go out there and give you the same effect. He can make a lot of things happen for your defense.

Dan Quinn will love having Styles on his defense. You have to remember that Quinn played Micah Parsons at middle linebacker when he was drafted to the Dallas Cowboys.

Obviously, Parsons turned into a heck of a pass rusher, but when he was playing inside linebacker early on, he was going sideline to sideline. That’s the type of linebacker Styles can be in Quinn’s current system.

Quinn is one of those coaches who loves putting his players in position to make plays. So, when you get a guy like Styles who is just so gifted athletically, Quinn will be telling him to go see the ball. It’s not going to be hard for him. His job will be to find the ball and go get it.

You worked with Jaycee Horn during your time as an assistant coach for the Panthers. Horn has impressed in the last couple of years after an injury-plagued first few seasons. Was his talent always obvious?

It was definitely obvious early on that Jaycee was different.

The funny thing about ‌my relationship with Jaycee is that I knew him when he was a young kid. His dad, Joe Horn, played for us at the Atlanta Falcons toward the end of his career. He was a great player himself.

The main thing for Jaycee was just being able to keep him healthy and making him understand that he has to protect himself from himself. That means when you feel a little something in your hamstring, we don’t need you to push it right now in practice. We need you on game day.

So, having Jaycee really understand how to be a pro, how to practice, and how to take care of his body was the main thing for him. The talent has always been there.

It’s been awesome to watch him play at a high level because I almost feel like he’s one of my kids, because I’ve known him for so long. I root for him, his dad, and the rest of his family.

I’m super excited that he’s been able to stay healthy and really show the rest of the NFL the kind of player he is.

Bryce Young is another player on the Panthers who seems to be figuring it out as of late. What have you made of his performances?

From my time in the building, you could see that Bryce was a great young man and a really good quarterback who understands the game.

In my opinion, it was just about putting the pieces around him. At Alabama, he had so much talent around him. Then when you’re a top pick, you tend to go to teams that aren’t so talented. So, the Panthers had a couple of years to put talent around him. He needed some time to really understand the offense too, but it’s been amazing watching him continue to grow.

He continues to evolve his game. He uses his legs. He trusts his receivers more and gets the ball to them. Even when it’s a 50-50 ball, he now throws the ball up there because he trusts his receivers to make plays.

Bryce’s rising to the occasion is one of the main reasons the Panthers are the reigning NFC South champs, and I think they will pay him big money pretty soon.

What was your immediate reaction to the trade that sent Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams? Could this tempt Aaron Donald to come back and play on the same line as Garrett?

My immediate reaction was shock. I thought it was a joke because we’ve heard the Cleveland Browns say for so long that they’re not trading Myles Garrett.

I know Sean McVay personally, and I know he would’ve been grinning ear to ear when he heard they were trading for Garrett.

I even thought if I were Aaron Donald, I’m getting back out there. Donald keeps himself in the best shape, so I know he can go out there and play if he wants to.

There’s no denying that Garrett is a generational talent. Rams fans already had a taste of it when Donald was there, and they got a Super Bowl out of it.

Now you move that elite piece to the edge in Garrett, who is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year – the way that defense is going to be able to play is scary. Every offense will need to know where he is lined up at all times.

It allows your defense to be much more aggressive and make plays because you have someone so dominant on one side of the field.

If you add Aaron Donald back in and line him up as a three-technique while Garrett is playing Wide 9 just trying to get to the quarterback, I don’t know what teams can do to stop them.

We saw it a little bit when they had Donald and Von Miller, but Miller was towards the end of his career. We’re talking about Garrett, who is still at the height of his career, and Donald, who is unblockable too. He is one of the best defensive tackles I’ve ever seen play.

Maybe it’s because I can’t go out there and do it, but I definitely want Donald to consider going back and getting another ring. I want him to have more moments to enjoy because when it’s gone and you’re over 40 years old, there’s no coming back.

So, while he can still go, I encourage Aaron to please get out there and try to get another ring. I know he’d have so much fun being back there in that locker room with those guys.

Does the move to trade Garrett make sense for Cleveland?

It was a little strange to me. However, they did get Jared Verse who is a great player himself, alongside a lot of draft capital. So maybe it made sense to them. Especially because they’re not a roster that is built to win now.

Maybe they gave Myles Garrett the respect of saying, ‘Hey, we’ve sat here in obscurity for your whole career. Go chase that ring.’

This is similar to what the Detroit Lions did for Matthew Stafford when they sent him to the Rams. I’m sure Stafford is forever grateful for this. He got his ring, and he’ll probably get a gold jacket.

So, I hope this trade was a sign of respect towards Garrett from the Browns.

I wish more teams did that. If they can’t contend or pay the big money, let the man go get his ring or money elsewhere. Especially when that player has given years of great play like Garrett gave to Cleveland.

After months of speculation, A.J. Brown is a New England Patriot. How much can he elevate Drake Maye and the Patriots’ offense?

Anytime you bring dynamic receivers to a football team, it just allows the quarterback to really slow the game down. You saw it with Stefon Diggs when he was in his prime and went to the Buffalo Bills. That really helped Josh Allen out. Diggs even helped Drake Maye out a little bit last year during their run to the Super Bowl.

A.J. Brown isn’t going to have to complain or cry about getting the football in New England. He is going to get as many targets as possible in that New England offense. We already know the Patriots will want to run the football, but that means A.J. is going to get some favorable matchups down the field. He’ll have a lot of opportunities to make plays.

I’m looking forward to seeing him in a new place. There was a lot of back and forth with him in Philly. So, sometimes it’s good for guys to get a fresh start.

It’s going to be really good for A.J. Brown to be in a new place and be able to rewrite his own story after last year.

On the flip side, could this be a good move for the Philadelphia Eagles, as they don’t have to hear talk about Brown’s relationship with Jalen Hurts every week?

Absolutely. Distractions just take the focus off of football and winning games, and this caused a ton of distractions in the Philadelphia Eagles locker room.

Even when they won games, there was always talk about Brown’s stats and whether he got enough targets. There was always something. So, now they can wash their hands, and there’s no more Jalen versus A.J. talk.

That offense is going to be able to flow a little bit smoother than it did last season, and they can put the focus back on winning football games.

Sometimes it can be good for both sides to just have a clean break and go their separate ways.

Cam Ward reportedly struggled during OTAs. Did you see any signs from Ward in his rookie season that showed he has the traits of a franchise quarterback? Are reports regarding his OTA struggles overblown?

I think it’s definitely too soon to panic over Cam Ward. I saw Cam make some really good plays last year on a Tennessee Titans roster that wasn’t necessarily the best.

Now you bring in a guy like Robert Saleh, who is going to have the defense playing great. That creates less pressure on Ward and the offense. Saleh is going to prioritize protecting the football, and he’ll make sure his quarterback is in position to make plays.

The best thing about Cam is that he has that dog in him. You saw that when he was the starting quarterback for the Miami Hurricanes, and you’ve seen glimpses of it in Tennessee.

So, it’s way too early to even think of writing Ward off. He has shown me snippets of greatness. It’s just about whether he can do it consistently.

I also love the Robert Saleh hire and the staff he has put together. I’m expecting the Titans to be a lot better, and I think Cam can do great things this season.

Odell Beckham Jr. is back with the New York Giants in the NFC East. Do you think Beckham Jr. can still contribute on the field?

Absolutely. I saw Odell run up and down and get in and out of his breaks. To me, it looks like he still has ‌it.

We haven’t heard his name for a while, but he’s such an influential guy for the culture. It’s great for the NFL to get him back on a roster.

From what I saw during OTAs, he still looks good. We saw him play in the NFL flag football games, and I thought he was still moving really well.

I’m excited to watch him. The NFL is better when you have stars out on the field, and OBJ is a superstar. He can still move, and he has some of the best hands I’ve ever seen.

I like where the Giants are. They’re young. They hired a great head coach in John Harbaugh and got some good pieces in the offseason. If Nabers gets healthy, that could be some duo with Beckham Jr.

I’m rooting for OBJ.

What impact can Beckham Jr. have on young players such as Jaxson Dart and Malik Nabers?

He can have a huge impact. Experience is so valuable, and you’re talking about someone who was one of the best players at his position. Someone who became one of the biggest stars in the league after making one of the best plays of all time.

He will bring such a veteran presence to that locker room. Look at the young guys like Malik Nabers. He’s a great player already, but now he’ll be able to learn from Odell too.

People can say what they want about OBJ, the celebrity. But the football player, that’s definitely a guy I want to put around my young receivers. He’ll help them develop their route running and be able to teach them how to get open in the NFL.

I had to cover OBJ as a young guy. When I went up against him, that’s when I knew it was time for me to retire. That dude just moved differently.

The confidence he plays with is infectious. When you have a guy who feels like he can win every one-on-one, it rubs off on every player in that locker room. I think the Giants needed someone with that type of bravado, too.

Travis Hunter’s rookie season was cut short due to injury. How do you think he should be used going forward? In particular, what do you make of his game as a defensive back?

It’s so hard in this league to try to play both ways full time. It would be hard enough to do part time when you’re only getting some snaps on the other side of the football.

Learning how to play one position in the NFL is just so meticulous, and there’s so much attention to detail.

I’m looking forward to him just putting most of his focus on being a defensive back because he has elite ball skills and elite athleticism.

I know some guys who coached him at Colorado, and they’d always call me to say, ‘This guy has some of the best ball skills I’ve ever seen.’ You saw that when he played receiver, and you even saw it sometimes when he was playing DB.

So, most quarterbacks or offenses aren’t necessarily scared of throwing the football unless they think the DB they’re targeting can take it away from them. That’s the fear factor Travis Hunter has at cornerback because he can definitely create takeaways.

I’m looking forward to watching Hunter play through a healthy season where he doesn’t have to go back and forth between positions a lot. I think this did him a disservice. Trying to juggle so much in the NFL as a young player is so hard to do.

I think the Jacksonville Jaguars have now got a better handle on his skill set, and they’ll be better at putting him in position to make plays in 2026.

What are your thoughts on the state of Virginia Tech football heading into the 2026 season?

Well, they have been recruiting their butts off, and that’s already half the battle. You have got to get talent through the door, and that’s something we have struggled with in the last 10 years. No disrespect to anyone, but I’m used to top classes coming to Virginia Tech.

Watching James Franklin recruit has been a thing of beauty.

I was at Virginia Tech on Father’s Day for a football camp. Just getting to see the staff and the camaraderie all those guys have was something else.

I love the whole “Re-Established 2026” theme. It’s perfectly fitting because Franklin has come in with a new attitude, new mindset, and he’s trying to re-establish that Hokie brand of football, which is having tough, hard-nosed kids who are willing to compete no matter what.

Franklin has definitely done a great job so far with the recruitment. I know people say you can’t win in the offseason, but in my eyes, they’ve been winning in the offseason. I can’t wait to pop up there and check out some games this year.

Are there any Virginia Tech players you’re excited to watch?

There’s not one player or group of guys in particular, but obviously I always have my eyes on the secondary.

We actually have a former Hokie in Anthony Midget on the coaching staff. He spent some time coaching in the NFL, too. He was on the team with Michael Vick that played against Florida State in the Sugar Bowl.

It means so much to guys when they come back to their former universities to coach. I was just talking to Anthony this past weekend, and I know he’s excited about this secondary. So, if he’s excited about them, I’m going to be excited about them.

I can’t wait for those guys to go out there and really stake a claim for DBU. I know LSU and Texas have their DBU debate, but I feel like we’re the underrated DBU. We have a bunch of dudes who might not have been five-star recruits coming in, but they’re just hard-nosed workers who go out there and make plays.

I’m so excited that Anthony Midget is on the staff helping run the secondary.

Who is on your Mount Rushmore of all-time NFL defensive backs?

I’m not going to put myself in. Even though I tell everybody, if I had to pick one corner to go against any receiver, I’m so confident in my ability that I’m always going to pick myself.

But if we’re talking about Mount Rushmore, I have to put Darrell Green in there. I also have to include Ed Reed.

Deion Sanders has to go in because when I got to the Falcons, I wanted to be like Deion in Atlanta.

I’m going to be fair and go with two corners and two safeties. So, the other safety would be Troy Polamalu.

So, that’s my Mount Rushmore of NFL DBs. Darrell Green, Deion Sanders, Ed Reed, and Troy Polamalu.

Are there any defensive backs playing currently that could make it into that Mount Rushmore conversation when they’re done playing?

Absolutely. One of them is Jalen Ramsey. I’ve always been a huge fan of his. He’s a dude.

Derek Stingley Jr. is the other one. His movement is elite, and he’s also great at going and getting the football. I love watching him play. I think if he continues to play at this level, then years down the road, there’s no doubt in my mind that he will get a gold jacket.

So, Ramsey and Stingley are the top two corners I love to watch right now.

I know Jalen has played a bit of safety too because he can do a little bit of everything. But at the height of his career, there wasn’t a better lockdown corner.

Maybe I love Jalen because I’m not 6’1″ and 210 pounds. I’m 5’10”. I just love a big corner who knows they’re big and wants to hit guys. He’s physical at the point of attack. He goes and gets the football. He’s great in man coverage, great in press, great in off. He’s really instinctual.

I’ve been around some coaches who have coached Jalen, and they just really rave about how smart of a football player he is.