Days Like This: Volume 2

There’s something special about Darren Hall. His unlikely combination of explosive talent, deep passion for the game and a humble demeanor make Darren captivating both on and off the field. Over the next few weeks, Wilson.com Managing Editor Liz Ziner will sit down with Darren and his father, lifelong mentor and coach, Art Hall, and hear their firsthand accounts of D’s journey up to and through the NFL draft. In this second installment, Liz catches up with the guys to get the download on Darren’s performance at San Diego State’s Pro Day.

If you missed Volume 1, read it here.

The end of Darren’s season at San Diego State was just the beginning of his intensive preparation for the NFL draft.

Darren and his family needed to select a training facility to prepare for pro day and the combine. His agents presented a number of options, and Darren and Art decided on EXOS Sports Performance Training. Their intensive Pro Day and Combine training program boasts a roster of 998 drafted athletes and 191 first-round picks to date. The program provides training, physical therapy, position-specific coaching and more. Darren spent 7 weeks at EXOS in Arizona pushing his performance boundaries and preparing for the draft.

Art’s personal connection to Darren’s coaches has played a crucial role in Darren’s development as a player. Naturally, nothing would change now that Darren was preparing for the largest leap of his career.

“When we dropped him off at EXOS, I wanted to make a point to get a chance to meet some of the people that would be handling him,” says Art. “Because I am always under the impression that if I can get a chance to build some level of relationship, I can get some information that may be helpful that I can pass along to him.”

Art also left Darren with some of his signature words of advice.

“[My advice] was pretty much just, 'Go out there and do what you’ve always done. But take advantage of the prehab—not just the rehab, but the prehab.' Because when we got to EXOS and I got a chance to see the facility and see the level of athletes that were in there, I kind of knew that we hit the nail on the head, like, straight through.”

Putting in Work

Darren says the training at EXOS had a different feel than any training he had done in his football career. Because this was a Pro Day and Combine-specific program, the training focused on drills used by NFL scouts to gauge prospects. Darren spent long days running L-drills, short shuttles and improving his vertical. He also trained extensively for the 40-yard dash—a drill of particular importance for DBs.

Despite the grueling schedule, Darren says he didn’t have any bad days; kind of a hallmark of his.

“It was pretty cool just getting there the first day. I saw a lot of faces that I’m familiar with in the college football world. And at first, we weren’t, like, standoffish, but we just didn’t know each other. So, it was kinda awkward. We just worked out together, talking a little bit.”

Unsurprising to anyone who knows Darren, he became fast friends with the other players. Rather than viewing one another as cutthroat competition, they built each other up.

“After the first week, really, we got super close, and I feel like I created some friendships that will last a lifetime. Like, people who will be invited to my wedding. We just vibed with each other. Like, if we saw somebody doing more weight, we are gonna go out there, like, 'We’re gonna put some more weight on, just to match you.' And there’s a lot of competition, but friendly competition. I don’t think there was any hating or any secret agendas. It was all just genuine love, and that was probably the part about it.”

To say the friendships were the best part of camp is a powerful statement, considering the significant improvements Darren saw in his performance while at EXOS.

Going into Pro Day, Darren knew he had a couple of stigmas to overcome. Critics have doubted Darren’s speed and ability to keep up with faster receivers. But critics had also doubted his ability to play against varsity 7-on-7 as a sixth-grader. Or to secure a starting spot his junior year of high school on a roster 90 players deep. So he was unphased.

He worked extensively to improve his time on the 40. As Pro Day grew closer, Darren felt confident in his ability to silence the critics.

And he made good on that promise in a big way.

The Big (Pro) Day

“Just leading up to the week, the anticipation was so high for me,” says Art. "Like, I knew going into Pro Day that everything that he’s been doing since he was little was all geared toward this one day. This was the day that his results were going to open up the door, or kind of close some doors, right?”

The family decided to drop everything and head down to San Diego to attend Pro Day.

“Still, the anticipation and the anxiety, in a good way—it wasn’t like I was in any fear because one thing about my son: when he tells me he’s got it, he knows what he’s doing, I trust him because he said that in times past, and he’s delivered every time. So I was not asking him every day, 'Hey how are you feeling?' Or, you know, 'What do you think?' I would shoot him a text every blue moon leading up to the week and he would tell me, 'I’m good, Dad. I feel great.' So that would kind of calm me down a little bit.”

So strong is Darren’s parents’ faith in their son that even a 3 am phone call from Darren the night before Pro Day didn’t shake them.

“It was a surreal moment. And I could’ve panicked like, 'Oh my gosh, this is gonna mess everything up.' But because of our relationship with our son, and also trusting God ultimately, we just looked at it like, 'Okay.' We prayed and we just believed that the few hours of sleep that he did get would be equivalent to a full eight hours,” says Art.

As soon as Darren’s parents pulled into the parking garage at Pro Day, Art started getting text messages from the strength coach and the position coach with Darren’s numbers. In a word, they were elite.

Instead of crowding around the players as they headed outside from the facility to run the 40, Art gave Darren his space.

“Darren has always played on a high level. From youth sports to high school, to college. And watching from a parent’s perspective, you want your kid to do well. Being that he was always playing in a pressure cooker, sometimes I would just have to get away from everybody, you know, to watch the game. Because too much chitter-chatter doesn’t work for me.”

And that’s what Art did. While Darren was on the field warming up for the 40, Art went and sat in the car.

“I ended up running faster [than his time at EXOS]. I got a 4.41. Just with the average times they were taking with the scouts—some people have me faster than a 4.41, some people have me slower. But yeah, I feel like my time speaks for itself, and it was a great time,” says Darren, without any hint of arrogance.

Despite running his fastest time ever, Darren was calm.

“Me, on the other hand," says Art, "I’m all over the place, because I am just like, 'He’s too calm. What’s wrong with this kid?' But that’s who my son is. He’s never too high or too low. He has a great quality that I’ve learned from, and many people that’s been around him have learned from: being even-keeled, straight across.”

“When I saw that he had elite numbers across the board, he kind of just stood out,” says Art, beaming. “It was almost like—I hate to say it, but it was kind of unfair. Seriously, it was kind of unfair. But I was just so pumped about it. And I’m so proud of him.”

All in all, Darren feels good about his Pro Day.

“I feel like it went very, very well. I feel like I opened some eyes. I feel like some heads were turned and some questions about me were answered,” he says.

“Most of the scouts, family, and friends just congratulated me and told me that I did a real good job, a great job. I’m not surprised, but I am surprised. Like, 'Oh, okay. You actually can do this.' Or 'You can run.' Or 'I don’t know why we didn’t think you could.' So, all good reactions. Good, positive feedback from everybody and it feels good.”

Post-Pro Day, Pre-Draft

Between now and the draft, Darren is going to stay sharp. Losing focus hasn’t been an issue for him, so as he approaches this exciting yet uncertain time, he will do what he’s always done: work hard, keep the faith, train with the same people he's been training with since the beginning, and enjoy the ride.

Meanwhile, TTGOG and the Ball By Faith Foundation, founded by Art and Darren, have continued to gain momentum and recently launched their website. Be sure to read Days Like This: Volume 1 for more info on the foundation, and follow @ballbyfaith on IG to stay in the loop on all the positivity they’re bringing to athletes.

As for Draft Day itself, Darren plans to watch with his family and friends.

“The Draft actually is the day before my birthday,” he says. “So I’m probably going to get an Airbnb somewhere nice and just chill out, watch the Draft with my family, some friends, COVID-safe. And then, after that, have a little get-together for my birthday.”

We’re willing to bet Darren will have a lot to celebrate.

Liz will be checking in with Darren again before the NFL Draft to get his final reflections before the big day. Make sure you follow @wilsonfootball, @dayonefb, and @_dh23_ for updates.

*This interview has been lightly edited for concision and readability.

Darren and his biggest fans (Mom & Dad)