Auburn linebacker Derick Hall was selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, which is quite the achievement seeing as the 22-year-old is lucky to be alive.
Hall is the latest linebacker to join Seattle Seahawks after being picked 37th in the second round, impressing with Auburn in the 2022 season. The six-foot-three powerhouse registered 6.5 sacks and 60 total tackles during the final year of his college career.
Even the absolute best prospects have to battle to make it into the NFL, with chances slim to none as millions of hopefuls miss out. But with Hall being given a one percent chance to live at birth, his story to the big league is even more inspiring - and he has his mother to thank.
Hall was born March 19, 2001, but he arrived four months premature and mother Stacy Gooden-Crandle was told that it would take a miracle for her son to survive. Gooden-Crandle was told that Hall would be born without a heartbeat at first, but miraculously he was alive at birth and instantly transferred to the intensive care unit.
Being born so early, Hall was just two pounds and nine ounces at birth, and could fit into the palm of his mothers hand. Despite surviving the birth, Gooden-Crandle was still told that Hall's chances of surviving a five-month incubation period were miniscule.
Gooden-Crandle was offered 'Do Not Resuscitate' forms but refused to sign them, instead fighting for the life of her son after she was told he could well be in a vegetative state. But after months of incubation, assisted oxygen and feeding tubes, somehow Hall was in safe condition to leave hospital for the first time in his life.
Although Hall was embarking on a 'normal life', his premature birth led to severe cognitive delays which impacted his speech and physicality later in life. His mom put Hall through therapy and classes to help get him back on the right track, with sessions lasting for four hours a day from Monday through Thursday.
Hall was unsurprisingly smaller than the other kids, but starting playing flag football at the age of four before later being involved in the contact version of the sport by the time he was 10. Hall couldn't last as long as the other kids due to his lack of stamina, but this began to grow and during his teenage years the future linebacker was on the same level as his peers.
Gooden-Crandle was, of course, nervous to let her son play, especially after everything they'd been through to give Hall a normal life. But the multiple hospital trips and extra care became the motivation for Hall, who said on AL.com’s Emmy-winning series Road to the Pros : "She knew that was just my way of escaping.
"Most kids were like, ‘Ah, I don’t want to go to practice,’ but I was excited to have an opportunity to do something other than lay up in the hospital or get shots or go and get a breathing treatment."
Coming out of high-school Hall was a four-star prospect, and had multiple offers to continue his development at college level. He committed to play college football at Auburn over Mississippi State and Ole Miss, with head coach Rodney Garner being the decisive factor in his decision.
During Hall's penultimate year Garner visited the star and tore him to shreds as he demanded the linebacker step up his game. That led to the best season of Hall's high-school career, and to his credit, Garner called the youngster to congratulate him and leave the door open to a spot at Auburn. Hall starred under Garner, and now he'll be looking ahead to a rookie season with the Seahawks.
