ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Falcons are negotiating a trade that would send outspoken cornerback DeAngelo Hall to the Oakland Raiders for a second-round pick in the NFL Draft.
Hall was the Falcons' No. 1 pick in 2004.
Raiders owner Al Davis has always valued cornerbacks who can excel playing man-to-man coverage. Pairing Hall with Nnamdi Asomugha would give Oakland one of the top tandems in the game and perhaps the best for the Raiders since Mike Haynes and Lester Hayes helped the team win its last Super Bowl following the 1983 season.
The move would also provide insurance if Asomugha were to leave as a free agent following next season. The Raiders placed the exclusive franchise tag on Asomugha, guaranteeing him at least $9.465 million in 2008. They still would like to sign him to a long-term deal.
Asomugha had a breakthrough season in 2006, intercepting eight passes and becoming one of the top cover cornerbacks in the league. Asomugha had only one interception last season as teams often shied away from throwing to his side of the field and took advantage of Stanford Routt and Fabian Washington on the other side.
By acquiring Hall, that would be more difficult. Washington and Routt have not lived up to expectations in Oakland since being drafted with the team's first two picks in 2005.
If the Raiders complete the deal, they would have only one draft pick in the first three rounds. Oakland picks fourth in the opening round and traded its third-round pick last year to New England for a pick used to draft offensive lineman Mario Henderson.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
