Derick Hall understands a foundational truth about today’s NFL: It’s all about the quarterback position — whether it’s having one who can make all the throws and lead a team to a championship, or having the defensive players who can cause disruption in the backfield and bring those quarterbacks down before they get the chance to make those big-time throws.

That’s why Hall believes his skillset will be highly coveted in the upcoming NFL Draft, where some analysts project the former Auburn edge defender to be a potential first-round pick.

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“You can’t teach effort,” Hall said this week at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. “Effort is huge, and a lot of plays don’t come off technique or anything like that. A lot of plays come off effort. You get a lot of effort plays; you get a lot of effort sacks.

“They pay the guys to throw the ball, and they pay the guys to get them on the ground. I feel like that’s the biggest thing for me.”

Hall excelled at the latter during his time at Auburn, where he was a team captain last season, a three-year starter and a two-time All-SEC selection in 2022 and 2021. The 6-foot-3, 252-pounder racked up 19.5 sacks during his three years as a starter, including a career-high nine during the 2021 season, when he tied for the third-most sacks in the SEC, behind only All-Americans Will Anderson (17.5) and Sam Williams (12.5).

Hall finished his career with 146 total tackles, 29.5 for a loss and 19.5 sacks to go with another 12 hurries. He also had an interception and five forced fumbles during his time on the Plains.

It was a productive college career for Hall, whose evolution from a 216-pound freshman to a 252-pound pass-rushing maestro off the edge has been somewhat remarkable over the last four years.

“I definitely relied on speed,” Hall said of his first days on campus. “That’s all I did. I didn’t try to use power at all. I kind of felt like I really didn’t know how to work… the power and be very effective. I kind of feel like that’s something I’ve definitely thrown into my pass-rush. It’s night and day.”

That development really unfolded when he had the opportunity to learn under the likes of Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson during his freshman season in 2019. After that dynamic duo left for the NFL, Hall came into his own. Suddenly, the former four-star recruit out of Gulfport, Miss., was one of Auburn’s most effective pass rushers.

After initially being so reliant on his speed, Hall now considers himself a “very, very, very big power guy” off the edge, leaning on his stab-move to set up the rest of his arsenal as a pass-rusher. The speed component is still a major factor for Hall, who still “loves” his speed moves but feels more comfortable with his all-around versatility at the position.

Now Hall is preparing to take that versatility to the next level, potentially as a Day 1 pick — which would make him Auburn’s earliest draft pick since Brown went seventh overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.

“I feel like it’s a process that I’ve been looking forward to for a very long time,” Hall said. “I feel like you have those nervous jitters a little bit, but once you shoot that first shot, shoot the gun on the first one, everything just becomes second-nature, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.