Why the Vikings wanted quarterback Jaren Hall
When the Minnesota Vikings met with quarterback Jaren Hall at the NFL Combine, they asked him to break down a play where they knew that his receiver ran the wrong route.
In his answer, Hall focused on what he could have done better rather than throwing his teammate under the bus for the miscue or making excuses. At that point, they were interested.
"We were trying to give him a chance to say, ‘This player was wrong,'" director of college scouting Mike Sholiton said. "All he was willing to say is, ‘I’ve got to make it right.'"
Hall started for two seasons at BYU and posted impressive numbers, throwing 52 career touchdowns to just 11 interceptions while completing 65% of his passes and adding a rushing element to his game as well. His most eye-popping stat is deep passing, where he was graded 94.7 by PFF, one of their highest marks of any QB in this draft.
On Saturday the Vikings selected him with the 29th pick in the fifth round, making him the first drafted QB of the Kevin O’Connell/Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era.
The Vikings’ brass came to a consensus over his personality. Sholiton noted that some quarterbacks try to "fake it ‘til you make it" when it comes to talking about making pre-snap adjustments and audibles, but Hall was straightforward with them in saying that he wasn’t asked to change the play at the line of scrimmage in BYU’s system. The Vikings’ staff doesn’t penalize prospect QBs for only doing what they’re asked to do in college — they would, however, question not being honest about their responsibilities.
“The humility to know what he doesn’t know is just as important,” Sholiton said. “We’ve had players in the past that kind of lie through the pre-draft process … the fact that he was authentic and genuine led us to believe [in him]."
Every test the Vikings put in front of him, Hall passed with flying colors.
“His aptitude testing and psychological were off the charts, he really tested well in every appreciable metric that we can use and we’re thinking that … whatever he wasn’t asked to do [at BYU] he’ll be able to learn,” Sholiton said.
In studying every element of his game, the Vikings’ director of college scouting also took note of the way Hall’s teammates reacted to him on the field and the way he cheered on his fellow players front and center.
Of course, Hall was picked in the fifth round so there are questions. Part of that may have been due to some injury history with an ankle issue, though Sholiton said they are comfortable with his status. Another potential knock would be Hall’s size. At 6-foot and 207 pounds, he will immediately be one of the smallest QBs in the NFL. But the NFL is growing more comfortable with undersized QBs, particularly if they have effective workarounds.
“One of the things you could see at his Pro Day workout was his mobility and the ease of which he could move and can get himself back on a platform where he can make an accurate throw and you can see that on tape,” Sholiton said. “There are tall quarterbacks who get a lot of balls batted so it’s not necessarily a product of height as it is preparedness and getting to a point where you can find a passing lane and deliver the ball with a purpose.”
Hall explained how he was able to succeed at BYU without being able to see over his offensive linemen.
"Understanding concepts, understanding where your launch point needs to be and anticipating where you’re receiver is going to be can help you be in the right line to see around linemen," Hall said. "You really have to get good at seeing through and anticipating space."
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The newest Vikings quarterback’s mobility and throwing balance may have had some outside influence. He follows a trend in the NFL of quarterbacks who played baseball. He hit .245 with two home runs in 49 at-bats for the Cougars and took away some skills that translated to the football field.
“From baseball the activation of the core and your hips, that’s a skill that you learn,” Hall said. "The hardest thing to do in any sport is hit a baseball and to react quickly. That reaction time [in baseball] is insane."
Hall now steps into a role where he can develop and see where things take him. He gets the benefit of joining a quarterback room with two veterans in Kirk Cousins and Nick Mullens.
“Two guys that I can learn from, two guys that are very accomplished and I’m excited to learn from them and be in the room with such great football players,” Hall said.
NFL.com’s draft analysis is optimistic about his chances to hang in the NFL despite some drawbacks, including the lack of an overly powerful arm.
“Hall’s field command gives him a shot to make it at the next level,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote in Hall’s draft profile, comparing him to Gardner Minshew.
