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A Mike Macdonald favorite is predicted to post a career-high stat for the Seattle Seahawks in 2026.

Some are concerned about the Seattle Seahawks’ edge-rushers, particularly after Boye Mafe departed in 2026 NFL free agency, but a favorite of head coach Mike Macdonald is predicted to ease those worries by setting a career-high mark this season.

The prediction comes from Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. He told the Seahawks Collective podcast that if Mafe’s replacement Derick Hall “had like 11 sacks or something like that it really just would not surprise me. Looking at guys on TruMedia, guys who had at least 200 pass-rush snaps, so filtering out like blitzing linebackers and stuff, basically. Last year, D-Hall was 15th in pressure rate.”

That’s a lofty target for a player who notched just two sacks last season, but Dugar would “buy some D-Hall stock” because the fundamentals suggest the 25-year-old is an ascending disruptor off the edge. That’s just what the Seahawks need to hear at time when they’re being warned about the depth and quality of their outside pass-rusher rotation.

Macdonald can solve the problem by scheming a lot of sacks, but he’ll still need Hall to translate pressures into sacks more often. If he can, Hall will join some of the most high-profile sacks artists in the NFL, prolific quarterback hunters he was actually keeping pace with at times during 2025.

Derick Hall On Par With Top Pass-Rushers

Moving Hall from the edge of the defensive line to the interior has been a key part of Macdonald’s pressure packages. It’s a big reason why general manager John Schneider handed Hall a contract extension worth $42 million this offseason.

The new deal was viewed as a clear sign the Seahawks preferred Hall to Mafe, who joined the Cincinnati Bengals. That endorsement of Hall’s skills is justified by Dugar revealing the player was ahead of former Los Angeles Rams edge-rusher Jared Verse for pressure stats last season, “by a smidge.” Hall was also “right behind Byron Young, Jared’s (former) teammate.”

If those names aren’t enough to impress, Hall generated pressure at similar rates to players like Aidan Hutchinson, Danielle Hunter and Myles Garrett. All of whom posted double-digit sacks.

Garret set the new NFL single-season sack record with 23 QB takedowns, and he was “barely even one full percentage point above D-Hall,” according to Dugar, citing TruMedia.

This is good company for Hall to keep, but now the former Auburn stud must raise his game. The only way to do that is by finishing pass-rush snaps with sacks and forced turnovers.

Fortunately, the presence of  an experienced edge-rusher with more than one 10-plus sack season on his CV can help Hall take the next step.

Seahawks Have Another Breakout Candidate on the Edge

When the Seahawks took Dante Fowler Jr. off the veteran market they got a low-cost solution to a potential weakness on the edge of their front seven. He’s a proven pass-rusher who knows how to win on the outside thanks to the same kind of power to speed transition Hall is trying to master.

Learning from 6-foot-3, 264-pound Fowler makes sense for Hall because the ex-Dallas Cowboys rush end fits the Macdonald profile. As Sports Illustrated’s Brendon Nelson put it, Macdonald “likes the bigger and stronger edge rushers who can hold their ground and play the run.”

That preference is also why the Seahawks signed 30-plus versatile hybrid pass-rusher DeMarcus Lawrence in 2025. Hall is a natural successor for a role Macdonald has used to define Seattle’s defense.