Leon Hall

Leon Hall

Hall with the Cincinnati Bengals
No. 29 Cincinnati Bengals
Position:	Cornerback
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1984-12-09) December 9, 1984
Place of birth:	Oceanside, California
Height:
Weight:
Career information
High school:	Vista (CA)
College:	Michigan
NFL draft:	2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18
Career history
Cincinnati Bengals (2007–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
NFL Second-team All-Pro (2009) Ed Block Courage Award (2012) College Consensus All-American (2006) First-team All-Big Ten (2006) College awards and honors
Career NFL statistics as of Week 14, 2015
Tackles: 455 Interceptions: 26 Passes deflected: 111 Forced fumbles: 5 Fumble recoveries: 3 Defensive TDs: 4 Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Leon Lastarza Lafayette Lorenzo Hall (born December 9, 1984) is an American football defensive back for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Michigan, and earned consensus All-American honors. Hall was chosen by the Bengals in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft.

Early years

Leon Hall was born in Oceanside, California. He attended Vista High School where he played wide receiver and defensive back. He also played in the 2003 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. After high school, he committed to the University of Michigan without taking an official visit.

Professional career

2007 NFL Draft

After posting an impressive 40 time of 4.38 seconds at the NFL Combine, Hall was drafted in the first round (18th overall) in the 2007 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Hall was expected to start alongside Johnathan Joseph, who was drafted by Cincinnati a year before, and veteran corner Deltha O'Neal.

2007 season

On July 29, 2007, Hall was signed by the Bengals to a five-year deal for $13.6 million overall, with $8.2 million guaranteed. During preseason practice in Georgetown, Kentucky, Hall was said to have made a big impact. During Hall's first preseason with the Bengals, Sports Illustrated writer Peter King said that Hall was going to be an immediate-impact rookie in the secondary after watching one of the Bengals' practices.

In the regular-season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football, Hall had a breakout performance as starting cornerback with four tackles and a fumble recovery. Hall finished the 2007 season as the Bengals' interception leader with five, tying a team record for most interceptions in a rookie season.

2008 season

In the 2008 season, Hall continued to improve as he tallied 75 tackles (61 solo), 24 pass break-ups, three interceptions and a touchdown. Hall tied the franchise record by nabbing three interceptions one game in week 16 against the Cleveland Browns, returning one for a 50-yard touchdown. At season's end, Hall was praised by the Bengals' defensive back coach Kevin Coyle for his improvement .

2009 season

In 2009, Hall recorded 71 tackles (58 solo), two forced fumbles, 24 pass break-ups and a career-high six interceptions. Late in the season, writer King called Hall and Joseph "the best cornerback tandem in the NFL."

After the season, USA Today named Hall to its annual "All-Joe" team after he wasn't voted to the NFL Pro Bowl despite his standout play.

2010 season

In 2010, Hall started all 16 games for the third consecutive year, recording 29 tackles, 11 assists, and four interceptions.

2011 season

On September 2, 2011, Hall signed a four-year contract extension worth $39 million with $14.1 guaranteed. On November 13, Hall injured his Achilles tendon in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the following day he was placed on injured reserve. He ended the season with, in nine games, 29 tackles and two interceptions.

2012 season

In 2012, Hall returned and started and played in 14 games, totaling 23 tackles, 14 assists, two interceptions and one touchdown.

2013 season

He continued to be a Bengals' starting cornerback in the 2013 season, but a second torn Achilles forced the Bengals to place him back on IR on October 29, 2013.

2015 season

On December 2, 2015, after the 31-7 Week 12 win over the St. Louis Rams, Hall was awarded as the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. He had 6 tackles and a interception for a touchdown.

NFL stats

Year	Team	GP	COMB	TOTAL	AST	SACK	FF	FR	FR YDS	INT	IR YDS	AVG IR	LNG	TD	PD
2007	CIN	16	68	54	14	0.0	1	0	0	5	16	3	12	0	12
2008	CIN	16	75	61	14	0.0	0	1	0	3	87	29	50	1	24
2009	CIN	16	71	58	13	0.0	2	0	0	6	47	8	26	0	24
2010	CIN	16	44	33	11	0.0	2	0	0	4	19	5	22	0	11
2011	CIN	9	32	29	3	0.0	0	1	10	2	15	8	15	0	7
2012	CIN	14	38	24	14	0.0	0	0	0	2	61	31	44	1	11
2013	CIN	5	20	14	6	0.0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	5
2014	CIN	15	67	48	19	0.0	0	0	0	1	-3	-3	-3	0	8
Career		107	415	321	94	0.0	5	2	0	24	242	10	50	2	102

Key

• GP: games played
• COMB: combined tackles
• TOTAL: total tackles
• AST: assisted tackles
• SACK: sacks
• FF: forced fumbles
• FR: fumble recoveries
• FR YDS: fumble return yards
• INT: interceptions
• IR YDS: interception return yards
• AVG IR: average interception return
• LNG: longest interception return
• TD: interceptions returned for touchdown
• PD: passes defensed

External links

• Cincinnati Bengals bio