FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Chad Hall hopes he made a big impression on the Atlanta Falcons coaches — and that they have a long memory.
Hall was one of a handful of players participating in Atlanta’s three-day minicamp on a tryout basis, but his career options differ from other NFL hopefuls.
While some undrafted prospects land in the Arena Football League or seek jobs outside football, Hall could be bound for a war zone with classmates from the Air Force Academy.
He must serve at least two years before he has a chance to be granted permission by the Air Force to pursue an NFL career, according to Capt. Tom Wenz, an Air Force spokesman at the Pentagon.
Hall wasn’t drafted and wasn’t signed as a nondrafted free agent, so his final day with the team may have been the end of the minicamp Monday.
“Either way, whether I make the team or not, I want to serve,” Hall said. “I went to the Air Force wanting to serve my country, so that’s not a bad thing. I want to do it either way.”
Hall’s credentials are impressive. He was the only player in the nation last season to lead his team in rushing and receiving. He ranked third in the nation in all-purpose yards. He ran for 142 yards and had 272 all-purpose yards in a 41-24 win over Notre Dame and set an Air Force record with 275 yards rushing in a 30-10 win over Army.
But there’s this: The Falcons list Hall at only 5-feet-7 and 179 pounds. That is tiny, even for a team that has watched Warrick Dunn, who passed 10,000 career yards rushing last season, prove that a small running back can succeed in the league.
Hall couldn’t have picked a better setting to try to make good on his underdog NFL dream. He was a three-sport star at Wesleyan School in Norcross, near Atlanta. In the Air Force media guide he listed the Falcons as his favorite NFL team and Dunn as his favorite player.
“He has unique skills,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. “You think back to the New York Giants when they had Dave Meggett, who was a third-down guy and a returner.”
Hall will learn this week whether he will be invited back. He graduates May 28 and then has 60 days of leave and could continue offseason work with the Falcons during that time before reporting back to the Air Force for training.
Falcons coach Mike Smith said he remembered Hall from scouting the Air Force-Notre Dame last year, when he was Jacksonville’s defensive coordinator.
“I watched this guy almost single-handedly beat Notre Dame,” Smith said. “He ran all over them. I was somewhat familiar with him. Our scouting department had grades on him and we thought it would be a great opportunity for him to come in and compete.”
Hall’s best shot with the Falcons is as a return specialist.
