Leon Lastarza Hall (born December 9, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines and earned consensus All-American honors. Hall was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft and also played for the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, and Oakland Raiders.
Leon Hall was born in Vista, California. He attended Vista High School where he played wide receiver and cornerback. 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.
The Cincinnati Bengals selected Hall in the first round (18th overall) of the 2007 NFL draft. Hall was the second cornerback drafted in 2007, behind Pittsburgh's Darrelle Revis (14th overall). On July 29, 2007, the Bengals signed Hall to a five-year $13.60 million contract with $8.20 million guaranteed.
Hall entered training camp slated as the third cornerback and first-team nickelback on the depth chart. Head coach Marvin Lewis officially named him the third cornerback and nickelback to begin the season, behind Deltha O'Neal and Johnathan Joseph.
He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Cincinnati Bengals' season-opener against the Baltimore Ravens and had three combined tackles, two pass deflections, and a fumble recovery in their 27–20 victory. He earned the start over Johnathan Joseph. On September 23, 2007, Hall recorded two solo tackles, broke up a pass, and made his first career interception off a pass by quarterback Matt Hasselbeck during a 24–21 loss at the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4. In Week 9, Hall recorded five combined tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception during a 33–21 loss at the Buffalo Bills. Defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan named him the starting cornerback for Week 10, replacing Deltha O'Neal in the starting lineup. In Week 10, he recorded seven solo tackles, broke up two passes, and intercepted a pass by Kyle Boller in the Bengals' 21–7 victory at the Baltimore Ravens. On December 2, 2007, Hall collected a season-high ten combined tackles (seven solo) in a 24–10 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13. He finished his rookie season in 2007 with 68 combined tackles (54 solo), 12 pass deflections, and five interceptions in 16 games and ten starts.
Hall finished the 2007 season as the Bengals' interception leader with five and tied a team record for most interceptions in a rookie season.
Hall entered training camp as a starting cornerback after Deltha O'Neal was granted his release and defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan was fired after the defense finished 28th in total yards. Head coach Marvin Lewis officially named Hall and Johnathan Joseph the starting duo to begin the regular season.
On December 21, 2008, Hall recorded two solo tackles, three pass deflections, and made three interceptions during a 14–0 victory at the Cleveland Browns in Week 16. He intercepted three passes by quarterback Ken Dorsey that were originally intended for wide receiver and former Michigan teammate Braylon Edwards. Hall returned the second interception for a 51-yard touchdown in the second quarter, marking his first career pick six. The following week, he tied a season-high eight solo tackles and a pass deflection during a 16–6 victory against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17. His three interceptions tied a franchise record for most interceptions in a single game. Hall completed the 2007 season with a career-high 75 combined tackles (61 solo), a career-high 24 pass break-ups, three interceptions, and a touchdown in 16 games and 16 starts.
Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer retained Hall and Joseph as the starting cornerbacks to begin 2009. He was involved in a memorable play in the Bengals week 1 game against the Denver Broncos. With the Bengals leading 7-6 late in the 4th quarter, the Broncos were attempting to get into field goal range. On 2nd down, Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton threw a pass to the outside with Hall in coverage. Hall tipped the pass into the air. However, the ball was tipped in-bounds instead of out of bounds. As a result, Brandon Stokley made the catch off the ricochet and ran it 87 yards for a go-ahead and game-winning touchdown, giving Denver a 12-7 win. This play is the longest game winning touchdown with under a minute to play in NFL history. In Week 6, Hall collected a season-high 12 combined tackles (ten solo) and deflected a pass during a 28–17 loss to the Houston Texans. The following week, he made seven combined tackles, a season-high four pass deflections, and intercepted two passes by quarterback Jay Cutler during a 45–10 win against the Chicago Bears in Week 7. Hall finished the 2009 season with 71 combined tackles (58 solo), 24 pass break-ups, two forced fumbles, and a career-high six interceptions.
Hall and Joseph returned as the Bengals' starting cornerbacks for the third consecutive season and began establishing themselves as a premier cornerback tandem. The AFC North blog ranked them the third best duo in the league behind Al Harris/Charles Woodson (Packers) and Darrelle Revis/Lito Sheppard (Jets).
On September 26, 2010, Hall recorded a season-high six combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen in a 20–7 victory at the Carolina Panthers in Week 3. The following week, he recorded two solo tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by Seneca Wallace in the Bengals' 23–20 loss at the Cleveland Browns in Week 4. Hall completed the 2010 season with 44 combined tackles (33 solo), 11 assists, and four interceptions in 16 games and 16 starts.
On September 2, 2011, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Hall to a four-year, $39 million contract extension with $14.10 guaranteed and a signing bonus of $9 million.
Head coach Marvin Lewis chose Hall and Nate Clements to be the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season after Johnathan Joseph departed for the Houston Texans during free agency. On November 13, 2011, Hall tore his left Achilles tendon in a Week 10 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers and was placed on injured reserve the following day. He ended the season with 32 combined tackles (29 solo), seven pass deflections, and two interceptions in nine games and nine starts.
Hall returned to training camp in 2012 and saw competition for his starting job from 2012 first round pick Dre Kirkpatrick. The Bengals also signed free agents Jason Allen and Terence Newman to bring their total to six cornerbacks who are former first round picks. Head coach Marvin Lewis named Hall and Nate Clements the starting cornerbacks to start the regular season.
In Week 2, Hall recorded a season-high seven assisted tackle and two pass deflections during a 34–27 victory against the Cleveland Browns. He missed two games (Weeks 3–4) after injuring his hamstring in Week 2. On December 23, 2012, Hall deflected a pass and returned an interception for a 15-yard touchdown in the Bengals' 13–10 victory at the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16. He finished the season with 38 combined tackles (24 solo), 11 passes defensed, two interceptions, and a touchdown in 14 games and 14 starts.
The Cincinnati Bengals finished second in the AFC North with a 10–6 record and clinched a wildcard berth. On January 6, 2013, Hall started in the AFC Wildcard Game and recorded four solo tackles, a pass deflection, and returned an interception for a 21-yard touchdown in their 19–13 loss at the Houston Texans.
Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer retained Hall as a starting cornerback to start the regular season, along with Terence Newman. Hall started in the Cincinnati Bengals' season-opener at the Chicago Bears and recorded a season-high seven combined tackles and two pass deflections in their 24–21 loss. He was inactive for two games (Weeks 4–5) due to a hamstring injury. On October 20, 2013, Hall sustained an injury while breaking up a pass to Calvin Johnson in the first quarter of the Bengals' 27–24 victory at the Detroit Lions in Week 7. On October 29, 2013, the Cincinnati Bengals officially placed Hall on injured reserve after he was diagnosed with a torn Achilles tendon. Hall was limited to 20 combined tackles (14 solo), five pass deflections, and an interception in five games and five starts.