Jaren Hall Leaves Former NFL Scout Wanting to See More

Jaren Hall is special.

He does a phenomenal job playing within himself and he is extremely instinctual.

Hall makes the ideal rookie backup quarterback with his strong developmental upside and he additionally has the intangibles to shine if called upon.

Few players leave me wanting to see more game film, but Hall did.

There are flaws

At first glance, it is easy to see the tendencies he has to pat the ball pre-delivery, not to go through his progressions and to lock in with receivers.

However, Hall has the uncanny ability to overcome all of that.

I have watched Hall over two seasons through six games, and he has shown improvement. In my September article, “BYU QB Jaren Hall is Better Than Zach Wilson, I cited four things from his 2021 game film to watch for during the 2022 college football season.

Hall answered three of those questions – – his arm looked stronger – – he did a much better job throwing the ball away – – and he didn’t fumble in the pocket during this three-game study.

Hall protects the ball

One of the things that also stood out most on his 2022 game film was, he did an excellent job of protecting the football when throwing.

He did look like he was holding the ball too long in the pocket at times, but it seemed he wanted to make sure he was not putting the ball in harm’s way. By doing this, he turned another scouting negative into a positive.

Hall has the uncanny ability to put the ball where only the receiver has a chance to catch it. If something wasn’t there, he just threw it away.

This will endear him to an NFL team coaching staff and fanbase.

Natural feel for the game

This jumped off the screen at me.

It’s like a sixth sense, the way Hall moves around and improvises

The feel he has for where his receivers are and when and where to throw it – – is outstanding.

Hall will excel with the unscripted stuff at the next level the way he moves around and with his ability to pull a rabbit out of the hat.

Air of maturity

People out there are knocking the fact Hall will be 25 years old on draft day, but to the contrary, he gives off an air of maturity on game film that will be a breath of fresh air.

This quarterback plays smart and he plays like he knows the game.

Hall looks like he was born to play quarterback

Don’t listen to the noise about his age, it makes zero difference.

It’s just another perceived negative that he has turned into a positive.

#3 Jaren Hall 6-foot-1, 205 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Final 2023 NFL Draft Grade: Second-Round (I would select him)

First Round Mock Big Board: TBD

Bust Probability: Low

Projected by 5.5% (down from 7.0% on September 5) of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of December 27, 2022 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2022 game film reviewed: Baylor, Oregon, and Arkansas (click to view games watched used to form this evaluation)

Level of competition: High

2021 stats: 189/296 (63.9%) 2,583 yards (8.7 avg.), 20 TD, 5 INT., 13 sacks

2022 stats: 248/376 (66.0%) 3,171 yards (8.4 avg.), 31 TD, 6 INT., 12 sacks

NFL comparable: Drew Brees

2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report:

Instinctual and mature signal caller with mobility, good arm strength, and the uncanny ability to get it done. Has some dual threat to him. Operated out of shotgun primarily and demonstrated smooth ball handling and play-action skills. Can move around in the pocket. Excels in the short to intermediate game with inconsistent downfield ball placement, but tends to put the ball where only receivers can catch it. Throws an easy ball to catch. Thrives rolling out and throwing passes on target. Touch passer with a great feel for the game and the position. Showed he can also zip it in there and split defenders. Protects the ball well and throws very few risky passes. Excels throwing slants and routes that feature distinct breakpoints (short/intermediate). Deep game left a lot to be desired. Will make a strong No. 2 right off the bat. He will grow from there as he cleans up locking in with receivers and learns to consistently go through his progressions.

Final words

Hall will turn heads his rookie season.

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He currently writes for Sports Illustrated New York Jets and he is the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.