2023 NFL Draft Player Profiles: BYU QB Jaren Hall

From now until the 2023 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents Today, I’ll be profiling BYU QB Jaren Hall.

#3 Jaren Hall, QB, BYU (R-Senior) – 6000, 207lb

Senior Bowl/Combine invite

Measurements

The Good

— Has experience playing under center and in the shotgun
— Plays with poise in the pocket and does a good job leading the offense
— Baseball background shows in his ability to make off-platform throws
— Can sling passes side arm with some zip when on the move
— Adjusts arm angles to throw with pressure in his face
— Does a good job going through his progressions and analyzing the field
— Can make every throw you ask of him in all quadrants of the field
— Has the mobility to extend plays with his legs
— Can be a threat on option keeps or as a scrambler
— Carries his weight well on a shorter, stout frame
— Makes some impressive tight-window throws and can drop the ball into the bucket
— Will buy time for receivers to uncover before throwing
— Layers the deep ball well from the pocket as well as on the move
— Will check down to his safety valve when options aren’t there downfield
— Did a good job protecting the football during his time in college

The Bad

— Doesn’t have ideal size and height for the position
— Doesn’t have great speed or strength as a runner
— Is already 25 years old
— Dealt with a plethora of injuries during his time in college
— Doesn’t have a huge arm in terms of velocity on his passes
— Passes can arrive faster and with more zip
— Can release the ball faster to prevent defenders stepping in front of passes
— Pocket presence is ok bur his feet can be more active in the pocket to stay clean
— Will miss high on passes when asked to throw early
— Can short-arm passes while feeling pressure, leading to inaccurate throws
— Will try to play hero ball at times, throwing the ball where it shouldn’t go

Bio

— Redshirt Senior prospect from Spanish Fork, Utah
— Rated the No. 3 quarterback in Utah and No. 20 dual-threat QB in 2016
— Played varsity basketball in high school
— Served a full-time mission in Roseville, CA from 2016-2017
— Played on the BYU baseball team in 2019 and 2020 as an outfielder, appearing in 27 games with eight starts in the outfield, hit .400 in five games in 2019
— Mother was a gymnast at BYU, father played running back at BYU, his two brothers play RB and WR for BYU
— Redshirted his first year on campus in 2018
— Saw action in seven games with two starts in 2019 after dealing with concussions and went 31 for 46 (67.4%) for 420 yards and one TD, added 29 rushes for 139 yards and three TDs
— Missed the 2020 season with a hip injury
— Missed time in 2021 with a rib injury, but started 10 games and completed 189 of 296 pass attempts (63.9%) for 2,583 yards and 20 TDs with five INTs while rushing 62 times for 307 yards (5.0 YPC) and three TDs
— Named the full-time starter in 2022 and completed 248 of 376 attempts (66.0%) for 3,171 yards and 31 TD with six INT and added 86 carries for 348 yards and three TDs
— Missed New Mexico Bowl with an ankle injury
— Exercise and Wellness major

Tape Breakdown

Jaren Hall was destined to play football at Brigham Young University. Don’t believe me? Tell that to his parents who were both college athletes at BYU and his two brothers who shared the gridiron with him in Provo. Hall is an older prospect, having completed a two-year mission when he first arrived on campus. He then took the long route, battling injuries and a QB competition with former #2 overall pick Zach Wilson before earning the starting gig in 2021. Hall appeared in 31 games, including 25 starts. He racked up 6,174 total passing yards along with 796 yards on the ground while posting an impressive 4:1 TD to INT ratio.

When you pop in the tape on Hall, you see a poised passer with a natural feel for the position. He also played baseball in college, and you see that skill set when throwing on the move. He can throw the football from a variety of platforms as you can see in the clips below. He makes plays outside of the pocket while changing his release point to sidearm passes to his intended targets for completions.

Hall doesn’t have the biggest arm in the draft, but he has enough arm strength to make throws all over the field. Watch this pass completion Hall makes on a rollout to his left. throwing on the move to his receiver along the sideline, he puts a fair amount of zip on the ball to get it to his guy, with the defense closing in to contest the pass, resulting in a first down.

He plays with good rhythm as a passer, going through his drops and his reads, and anticipates the pass as he lets it fly. Watch this completion from the same game on the out route. Hall drops back then drives the pass to the sideline, completing the precision throw to his target along the sideline.

Hall does a great job on levels concepts. He can quickly go through his reads in the pocket and locate the open receiver. Here is an example against Baylor. Hall sees his receiver breaking free from coverage over the middle and puts the ball on his man while taking a shot in the pocket, completing the pass under pressure.

Hall also does a good job layering his deep ball attempts and throws down the sideline, dropping the ball in the bucket with receivers in tight coverage. Watch this throw Hall makes on the slot fade up the left sideline. He places the ball high for his guy to go get above the rim, coming down with the ball inbounds for the chunk gain.

Hall, known as a quality dual-threat QB coming out of high school, picked up over 700 rushing yards and nine TDs on the ground at BYU. He can create outside of structure with his legs to keep plays alive and also can use his legs as a runner. Watch this double pass back to Hall on some trickery against Baylor, giving Hall the ball in space with blockers ahead of him where he takes off up the sideline for six.

Hall has issues as a passer that need to be addressed. He tends to short arm passes when feeling pressure in the pocket, as you can see in the clips below. He lacks the arm strength and velocity to keep the ball speed when not going through a full throwing motion.

While Hall is normally smart with the football in terms of playing turnover-free, he will occasionally put the ball at risk when he presses while attempting to make a play. Here is a good example against Boise State. Hall feels the pressure and falls back on a pass that gets intercepted by JL Skinner.

Conclusion

Jaren Hall is an accomplished passer who saw success at the college level when he was able to stay on the field. His lack of ideal size, arm strength, age, and lengthy injury history are working against him. But his poise in the pocket, mobility and ability to make all the throws, and off-platform throwing capability make him an enticing option in the middle rounds. He can come in as a backup to start with the upside to become a spot starter/game manager at the next level.

While I got some Brock Purdy vibes while initially watching Hall, Gardner Minshew came off as a better comp due to Minshew’s arm talent. Minshew was drafted in the sixth round in the 2019 NFL Draft, after a prestigious season at Washington State, and made an immediate impact with the Jaguars as a rookie. Since then, Minshew has backed up Jalen Hurts with the Eagles. He has served as a high-quality backup/spot starter who has shown he can start in the league but lacks ideal size and the powerful arm to make him a franchise QB.

I see Hall in a similar breath, a player who can become one of the better backup QBs in the league but shouldn’t be considered the answer for a starting job. The Steelers need a long-term backup option behind Kenny Pickett. Given the fact that Pittsburgh brought in Hall for a pre-draft visit, it’s safe to say that the team has interest to make him its QB3 this season, with the potential to become the backup QB down the road.

Projection: Day Three
Depot Draft Grade: 7.0– Backup/Special Teamer (5th Round)
Games Watched: vs Baylor (2022), at Oregon (2022), at Boise State (2022)