Hot Take Tuesday: Baylor's Gabe Hall is the Next Chris Jones
Right now, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones is the second-best player at his position and a top-ten defender in the NFL. He is also a three-time pro bowler and a three-time All-Pro. Coming out, Jones wasn’t a slam dunk first-round pick, ending up going 37th, and every team has regretted passing on him. His flashes were incredible in college, and he tested well for his size. Jones looked like he was built in the lab, and his natural tools translated into over 50 sacks and 124 quarterback hits.
Since Jones has gotten drafted, teams have been looking for the next version of him and haven’t found that player yet. Luckily in this year’s class, Baylor’s Gabe Hall has the talent, measurables and upside to be the next Chris Jones.
It starts with their measurables. Hall is listed at six-foot-six, 296 pounds. Jones measured just under that same height and 310 pounds at the combine. Both have freakishly long arms and big hands as well.
Running a 5.03 at the combine, Jones is incredibly fast for his size. His ten-yard split was off the charts, and his three-cone was great. The expectation is that Hall will be one of the best testers at the combine. Before the season, Hall checked in at 17 on Bruce Feldman’s Freak List. He was recorded at as high as 18.2 miles per hour on the GPS and has bench pressed 500 pounds.
On film, his speed and play strength back up those excellent numbers. In the run game, Hall stacks and sheds defenders with ease. He has noticeable grip strength and the length to win at the point of attack. Hall’s speed shows up when chasing down ball carriers, and he has the short-area quickness to disengage and make plays near the line of scrimmage.
What Hall brings to the table as a run defender will help him be a consistent three-down player, but what he provides as a pass rusher will make him one of the most enticing prospects in the draft. His size, speed and length overwhelm guards at the point of attack. Hall has a fantastic swim move and violent hands to keep guards guessing.
When in the backfield, Hall shows off a relentless motor and explosion to get to the quarterback. For a player his size, Hall possesses impressive hip flexibility and flashes the ability to dip his shoulder to beat offensive linemen. There are some wow reps on Hall’s film that few defensive tackles can replicate.
Scouts and coaches are going to fall in love with Hall’s tools. He is already an extremely good prospect with the tools to develop into an elite player. Every defensive line coach will want to get their hands on Hall and continue to develop him. As he adds to his pass-rush repertoire, Hall will be hard to stop at the next level.
What will also help Hall is his position versatility? He can line up as a defensive end in a three-man front, at 3-tech and even as a 1-tech. At Baylor Hall has been effective at every spot he’s played along the defensive line.
Tape, traits and testing are the biggest things teams look for in a prospect early in the draft and Hall checks all three boxes. Hall isn’t being talked about enough as a player who could be a true difference-maker in this class. If he reaches his potential, Hall could be a perennial pro bowler.
In 2016, the NFL let Chris Jones fall to pick 37 in the draft. That won’t happen again with Hall. He is reminiscent of Jones coming out and has the chance to be an elite player in the NFL. Hall deserves to be a first-round pick and could be one of the best players in this class.
