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The draft is only a little more than three weeks away and the New England Patriots are already busy visiting college pro days and conducting workouts with players. One of those workouts is taking place today: According to the Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson, the Patriots are meeting Sam Houston State defensive tackle P.J. Hall today:
Sam Houston St DL P.J. Hall workout for Patriots today and Eagles tomorrow, has eight visits over next two weeks, according to league source
Hall is coming off a highly productive collegiate career at the Division I level: Appearing in a combined 56 games, the redshirt senior averaged 71 tackles, 10.5 sacks and 2.3 forced fumbles over his four seasons in Huntsville. But while he was a handful for opposing offenses since 2014, Hall will probably not get drafted before the third day – despite bringing enormous production and plenty of upside to the table.
The main problems with Hall are the competition he faced as a small school prospect as well as his size: At a shade under 6'1, 310 lbs, he is a bit undersized for the NFL's prototype of a defensive tackle. Nevertheless, his college production on defense and special teams – Hall registered a staggering 14 blocked kicks – as well as his athleticism, quick first step and positional versatility make him an intriguing prospect.
And even though the Patriots' are set at the top of the defensive tackle position with Malcom Brown, Lawrence Guy and the recently acquired Danny Shelton, a player of Hall's upside would certainly be worth investing a late-round draft pick in.