Jaren Hall NFL Draft Scouting Report

QB, BYU Cougars

BYU quarterback Jaren Hall projects as a high-upside developmental NFL quarterback. Hall has some significant gifts as a passer and the athleticism to move the needle as an outside-of-structure player, but he will need additional refinement in order to become more consistent in the routine plays of NFL timing and accuracy. 

Originally a 3-star recruit out of Maple Mountain High School in Spanish Fork, Utah, Hall committed to the Cougars nearly 18 months before signing his letter of intent in 2016. He then spent a full-time mission for The Church of Latter-day Saints in Roseville, California for two years before debuting on the BYU roster during the 2018 season. Hall was a multi-sport athlete in high school and at BYU—he spent two seasons on the BYU baseball team in addition to his duties as a quarterback before taking over as the starting quarterback amid the departure of Zach Wilson for the 2021 NFL Draft. In the two seasons since, Hall has posted 58 total touchdowns while completing 65% of his passes. Hall is part of an extensive family history with the Cougars football program. His father, Kalin, and two brothers, KJ and Kyson, all played/are playing for BYU. His mother, Hollie, was a gymnast for the school as well. 

If you like gifted passers who can access all levels of the field and throw on the run, you’re going to like Hall. He’s illustrated the abilities of a high-level quarterback prospect throughout the course of the last two seasons as the Cougars’ starter. I’d say he’s got nearly every proverbial club in the bag as a passer: he can throw with velocity on his platform from the pocket, he illustrates touch working throws overtop of second-level defenders, and can throw with precision accuracy in the shorter areas of the field while rolling out to his right. I was impressed by how well he lived outside the numbers as a passer, especially to the field, pushing throws with velocity and timing to both outs and comebacks outside the numbers. He’s layered throws overtop of zone defenders, showing touch to the sideline. He’s also illustrated spatial awareness at times, throwing back-shoulder against man coverage seemingly every game and I love how he’s back-shouldered wheel routes to protect his receiver from a scraping safety, too. 

Hall’s feel for the rush is effective too. This allows him to extend plays at a high level and he’s hit several big plays as a result of moving with the intention to throw and feeling where the pocket affords him room. His baseball background pops too, as Hall can throw from various angles and in crowded pockets if needed and he’s comfortable with adjusting his delivery. Some of his best throws have come with a blocker and defender in his lap. 

As an athlete, he’s dynamic. BYU used him as a complementary piece of the running game with frequency—either on designed draws or zone read—and then he, of course, has the ability to move the sticks versus man coverage, too. He’s made some explosive plays on the ground. He’s got all the tools. 

While I would go on the record saying Hall is tough as can be, durability is a red flag to be mindful of, especially given Hall’s stature as a quarterback. In addition to a season-ending injury in 2020 and two concussions in 2019, Hall suffered a rib injury in 2021 that degraded over the first month of the season into broken ribs vs. Utah and/or Arizona State and he missed two starts as a result. Then, late versus USC, he suffered a lower-leg injury that kept him out of the Independence Bowl that same season. In 2022, Hall suffered a right ankle injury vs. Stanford and missed the New Mexico Bowl. For a player who plays as dynamic as he does and uses his mobility to such great effect, I would be lying if I said that trend didn’t worry me for a player of his stature. 

On the field, I saw a lot of likable mechanics and footwork to quick reads, but I don’t necessarily think that he’s a rhythm passer at this point unless he’s throwing hot or the early read is available to him. At the NFL level, Hall stands to benefit from polishing his progression timeliness and anticipation of when to ax his early progressions based on defensive leverage and early indicators. The hope is that it comes with additional playing experience. He had some wonky misses on half-field reads, too—it looks like he’s rushed his process at times and spot throws have simply gotten away from him. I don’t think he’s high variance to the point of no return but you will need to thread the needle with getting him polished in this regard and being mindful of his physical maturation as a dynamic passer; his age works against him in this regard from an NFL draft resume perspective. 

Expectations for Hall should be tempered in the short term. I don’t think this is a player any team would be eager to push into action too quickly. But his raw physical ability is too much to simply overlook or write off due to his age. There’s a sweet spot in the draft for his upside and mitigating the risks of a non-traditional resume and path to the pro game. His worst-case scenario, in my mind, is a long-term backup quarterback.

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Live arm with ability to throw with juice off platform
• Very good athleticism to extend plays or get outside the pocket
• Creative playstyle to win outside of structure when needed
• A+ intangibles and football character

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Untraditional build for the position may be a dealbreaker for some
• Two concussions in 2019 and a season-ending hip injury in 2020
• Older prospect who will turn 25 years old a month before the 2023 NFL Draft
• Needs overall polish for a more refined approach to the quarterback position

Size (NFL Combine):

Height: 6’0”

Weight: 207 lbs

Arm Length: 29 3/4”

Hand Size: 9 1/2”

Athletic Testing (TBD):

40-yard Dash: TBD

Vertical Jump: TBD

Broad Jump: TBD

Short-Shuttle: TBD

Three-Cone: TBD

Bench Reps: TBD 

Ideal Role: Developmental quarterback

Scheme Fit: Vertical-based passing offense with high incidence of RPOs and zone read

Prospect Comparison: Discount Kyler Murray

TDN Consensus Grade: 74.50/100 (Fourth-Round Value)

• Crabbs Grade: 74.50/100

Written By: Kyle Crabbs

Exposures: Utah (2021), Virginia (2021), USC (2021), Oregon (2022), Baylor (2022), Notre Dame (2022), Arkansas (2022)

Jaren Hall NFL Draft Scouting Report. Add him to your big board here.