Auburn’s dynamic pass-rushing duo is officially off to the NFL.
Edge defender Derick Hall and defensive lineman Colby Wooden both declared for the NFL Draft on Tuesday, announcing their decisions in a pair of thank-you videos posted to their social media accounts. Hall, a senior, made official what was already expected after he accepted a Senior Bowl invitation last month. Wooden, a draft-eligible junior, was also expected to turn pro after going through senior day festivities prior to Auburn’s home finale against Western Kentucky last month.
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The 6-foot-3, 256-pound Hall was a second-team All-SEC selection as a senior. He led Auburn with 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks while posting 60 total tackles, an interception and a pair of forced fumbles. A former four-star prospect out of Gulfport, Miss., Hall finishes his career on the Plains with 146 total tackles, including 29.5 for a loss and 19.5 sacks.
Wooden, a four-star defensive end coming out of Archer High in Lawrenceville, Ga., developed into a versatile one-man wrecking crew during his career at Auburn. He bulked up to 6-foot-5 and 284 pounds as a senior while playing multiple positions along the defensive line, repping on the interior and at defensive end, and even kicking out to edge at times after Eku Leota’s season-ending pectoral injury earlier this year. He finished the 2022 season with 45 total tackles, 11.5 for a loss and six sacks. Wooden also had three forced fumbles and three pass deflections at the line.
Wooden finishes his career with 153 total tackles, 29.5 for a loss and 14 sacks. Wooden and Hall are tied for 10th-most career tackles for loss by an Auburn player since 2000.
Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.
