There was speculation that the Minnesota Vikings might draft a quarterback in this weekend’s NFL Draft. With their third pick on day three at No. 164, they selected BYU quarterback Jaren Hall.
With this pick, the Vikings addressed a pressing need in their lineup. If you’re curious to learn more about Ward and his potential impact, read on for insights from some of the most respected draft analysts out there.
Lance Zierlein NFL.com Analyst
An undersized pocket quarterback with unimpressive arm strength, Hall’s field command gives him a shot to make it at the next level. He throws with excellent ball placement to targets on the move and delivers a feathery soft deep ball with accuracy. His lack of drive velocity creates smaller margins for error and his timing needs to be impeccable to beat NFL man coverage. Hall operates with ideal poise from the pocket. He does an adequate job of reading coverages and getting rid of the ball without taking sacks. The size and arm strength will concern some teams, but offenses operating out of heavy play-action with levels-based route concepts could target him as a solid future backup.
Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network
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.
Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network
The raw talent is, at the very least, intriguing with Hall. The BYU QB generates velocity with little strain, and his passes travel quickly in the short and intermediate ranges. He’s a very natural thrower who knows how to channel through his body to get maximum velocity. Hall has the arm strength to push the ball outside the numbers in the intermediate range, and his release is effortless on short throws.
Hall has not only the requisite arm strength but also the requisite arm elasticity. The BYU QB is comfortable throwing from different arm angles and can generate velocity with ease off-platform. He has a visibly elastic arm, a crisp release, and an effective sidearm release. He’s shown he can actively manipulate arm angles to elongate throwing windows.
Tyler Forness Vikings Wire
Hall is one of my favorite players in this draft. He can make all the throws and is a great athlete to pair with it. His size is far from ideal, but his processing and ability to make every throw is desirable for the next level. His age isn’t ideal at 25, but I’d bet on him on day three, possibly the end of day two.
