When linebacker Derick Hall met defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence for the first time, he knew he'd met someone that was going to have a wealth of knowledge. Lawrence is an 11-year vet with four Pro Bowls on his resumé.

"It's great to have a guy like that in the building who's been seasoned, playing in this league a long time, had a lot of success. I'm happy to have him. He teaches me a lot. I'm learning a lot about the way he plays. I feel like our playing style is kind of similar, so being able to have that is huge."

Their playing styles are similar and also, "They're crazy as hell," nose tackle Jarran Reed said. "They play one way, and that's balls to the wall. That's all you can ask for. That's a standard we're trying to set with this defense. Fast and physical as shit."

But what Hall probably didn't know was the kind of relationship the two would form in such a short time.

When Hall met Lawrence, "The first question I asked him [was], 'Do you have a little brother?' and he was like 'Nah.' And I was like 'Oh now I see why you act with me the way you act. I'm like the little brother you never had.'"

Reed added, "We joke around saying that D Law has the little brother that he never had and D Hall has the big brother he never had. They're competing and talking smack with each other all the time, but then they're also giving each other tips. I think D Law is a great veteran for him to have right now."

Hall, who for lack of better terms, according to his teammate defensive end Leonard Williams is a "bully".

"D Hall is one of those aggressive mentality type of guys," he said.

It was that mentality though that helped Hall take a huge leap from Year 1 to Year 2, seeing a season with 8.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble returned 36 yards for a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons.

While Hall may have been getting away with "bullying" before, he's met his match, someone who doesn't put up with it.

"When you're with D Law, he doesn't take that type of stuff," Williams said. "So, he finally met somebody that can clash back with him."

Even though Lawrence has seven more years of NFL experience than Hall, their teammates can see traits of one another within each of them.

"I see a lot of D Law (DeMarcus Lawrence) in Derick (Hall)," Reed said. "That's kudos to him. He's going to be a great player. The sky's the limit for him. I think D Law's (DeMarcus Lawrence) the best thing that could have happened to him because mentality wise, I think they're the same. And football wise, I think they're the same. Them playing with each other, that's the perfect kind of mental to have there is to have D Law (DeMarcus Lawrence) right there. And them two together on the field is going to be nasty."

Thinking back to last season, Hall sees room for growth in his game.

"That's my motto "I play hard." It was good to be able to go out [last season], have that experience, start playing well. I feel like the run is my key. So being able to set the edge on the run and being able to be powerful and make those plays in the pass game as well is what I feel I did really well. And what I need to grow on is the details. That's that jump from an 8.0 sack year to a 10, 12, 14 sack year, being able to hone in on the details. Finding little tidbits of things that you can find to be able to grow from. That was huge with the review on going back and looking at my year."

Williams said, "Last year he had a great season. But I think a lot of it was just playing off of his athleticism and his natural ability. Whereas now I'm seeing a shift from being a young guy into a vet where he's calling stuff out pre-snap and I think that's going to take us to the next level for sure."

Practicing alongside and spending time with Lawrence so far has proven to be beneficial for Hall.

"Everything he does is very intentional," Hall said. "Coming in to Year 1, you're just trying to do everything right. Year 2, you're starting to pick it up a little bit. Now, this is the time you start honing in on the details and the small things. It's like perfect timing the way he came in and the way he goes about his business, it's second to none."