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| Andrew Perna. 17th March, 2008 - 6:29 pm
 On Saturday afternoon, the Raiders reached an agreement with the Falcons to acquire cornerback DeAngelo Hall in exchange for second and sixth-round picks in next month’s draft.
The trade will become official once Hall and Oakland (kinda sounds like Hall and Oates) agree to terms on a long-term contract. The two parties discussed a deal for a majority of the weekend and appeared to be inching closer to an agreement on Tuesday morning.
The acquisition of Hall would be the second significant move for the Raiders this offseason, having signed receiver Javon Walker, formerly of the Broncos and Packers, to a lengthy deal last week.
The Raiders had a turnover deferential of minus-eleven last season, better than just three clubs in the entire league. As a team Oakland struggled defensively, giving up an average of 24.9 points per game, but they do have several above-average playmakers on that side of the ball.
Defensive end Derrick Burgess posted eight sacks last year, after tallying 27 between the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Burgess is largely considered to be one of the Raiders’ biggest playmakers, but that could all change once Hall dons silver-and-black.
Hall, a first-round pick out of Virginia Tech in 2004, notched five interceptions and a forced fumble in Atlanta last season. He is one of the best pure corners in the game today, but often times his mouth and attitude get the best of him.
With that said, the tandem of Hall and Nnamdi Asomugha will become one of the league’s toughest secondary duos next season. Asomugha has come into his own over the last five years, but his skills haven’t always been easily quantifiable.
In 2006 he created nine turnovers, including eight interceptions, but that total fell to just one last year. The reason for the reduction in picks was because opposing teams refused to throw his way more often than not.
With some help on the other side of the field, Asomugha shouldn’t have a problem increasing his interception numbers in 2008. In addition, Hall’s game and personality should fit well in Oakland. His mouth and discontent weren’t well received in Atlanta, a city that had its fair share of personnel issues over the last year), but on the West Coast it should be dificult for him to become bigger than Raider Nation.
If Burgess and Asomugha can post 2006-like numbers with Hall on the field, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine the Raiders jumping up into the top half of the NFL’s defensive heap this fall.
However, the deal does severely alter the impact Oakland will have on draft day in late April. They hold the fourth overall pick but won’t select in either the second or third rounds after trading for Hall and shipping a third-rounder to the Patriots last season.
It is unfortunate that the Raiders won’t be able to add a host of difference-makers through the draft, but it is extremely unlikely that they would have been able to add a player of Hall’s caliber with their second-round selection anyway. Assuming he keeps his rather large ego in check, DeAngelo’s talent could play a huge part in reversing Oakland’s recent fortunes.
The Raiders have only won nineteen games over the last five seasons, a mark the Patriots fell one shy of matching in just four months last year.
Despite their lack of picks, the possibility of taking a guy like Darren McFadden with the fourth selection, RealGM Draft expert Jeff Risdon’s latest projection, isn’t too shabby either.
Grade for the Raiders: B+
Giving up a second-rounder for Hall isn’t too steep a price, considering his talent, but their lack of picks in April’s draft could hurt Oakland in the long run. However, adding the former Atlanta cornerback could pay major dividends if the team isn’t able to retain Asomugha past next season.
Oakland placed the franchise tag on him to ensure that he’d suit up in silver-and-black in 2008, but there is no guarantee that he’ll stay long-term. Having Hall will certainly lessen the blow if Asomugha ends up jumping ship.
Grade for the Falcons: B+
It’s tough when you have to trade a player of Hall’s caliber, but Atlanta didn’t have a choice. He had become a huge distraction for the Falcons, and his attitude wasn’t helping the team’s public image, which was effectively squashed in the wake of Michael Vick’s legal issues.
However, they did a great job of getting valuable draft picks in exchange for Hall instead of settling for just a late-round selection or even opting to simply release the cornerback. It might take a few years for Arthur Blank and company to turn things around in Atlanta, but deals like these are a step in the right direction.
Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM.com. Please feel free to contact him via e-mail (Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com) with comments or questions. |
