Can Derick Hall continue to break out in a loaded Seahawks EDGE group?

Seahawks edge rusher Derick Hall has quietly been one of the best defensive players in football in recent weeks.

Today, Pro Football Focus named him their ‘Secret Superstar’ of Week 12.

Hall was the 11th highest rated defensive player on their website this week. His 34.8% pressure rate was the 4th highest of any player in a single game this season. Last week, he was the 32nd highest rated defender in the league.

He’s still a role player in Seattle’s defense, rotating in with the deep EDGE group which also contains DeMarcus Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu, and Boye Mafe- but Hall has separated himself from the pack by doing what he’s best at better than anyone else. He’s established himself as one of the best at generating pressures in the NFL. In just 173 pass rushing snaps, he’s generated 32 pressures (18.4%). Mafe, who’s also a good pass rusher, has produced just 30 in 264 opportunities (11.4%).

There are still two main things preventing Hall from being a bonafide every-down stud, though. Despite his massive pressure rate, he just got his first sack of the season this week. Elite pass rushers don’t just generate pressure, they finish it off for a sack. Hall is more of a pure power rusher with speed, but isn’t getting home and generating massive sack totals. Luckily, the Seahawks have a stacked front seven full of other players ready to clean it up and take the credit. He also overcommits at times rather than keeping the edge. That allows running quarterbacks to scramble, get outside of him and improvise.

The only other thing keeping Hall from breaking out this year has been injuries. He missed Weeks 6-8 after suffering an oblique injury in Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Incredibly explosive players are more prone to certain non-contact injuries than others, showing the biggest thing that stops them isn’t always an opponent, but themselves.

Barring injuries, Hall can make a massive impact for the Seahawks down the stretch. As things click for him, he can produce stats and impact that put the league on watch. He has the hard part down, and is as close to superstar status as one can be with just a single sack to his name.

This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks EDGE Derick Hall breaking out in loaded position group