Is Jaren Hall our future QB1?

With the 164th pick in the fifth round of this year's NFL Draft, your Minnesota Vikings selected Jaren Hall, quarterback for the BYU Cougars. While this may not be the quarterback fans wanted in this year's class, Hall just might be the guy we need.

Jaren Hall comes out of the Pac-12 as a gifted passer who can easily throw to any level of the football field either from the pocket or on an impromptu scramble drill. Many draft experts had Hall as the 5th best quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft, but considering how talented Hall really is, he could be top 3 if developed properly. Coming out of high school, Jaren Hall was a 3-star recruit who also played baseball during his tenure at BYU. With his baseball background, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that his ability to throw the football off platform and throw from a variety of different arm angles. Even when Hall is forced out of the pocket, his arm talent is so good that he can deliver the ball on time, with a little extra zip on it while he’s scrambling.

Jaren Hall is viewed by many as a high upside-developmental quarterback, which just so happens to work in favor of the Vikings. With current starting quarterback Kirk Cousins set to start yet another season for the Vikings, Jaren Hall will have at least this year to learn behind one of the league's best, and a real pros-pro. Jaren can learn how to manage his transition into the NFL and Kirk should be there to answer any and every question he might have. I believe this bodes well for the squad as they can rely on Kirk for another quality year, and have a potential future quarterback cooking in the oven.

Hall has quite the live arm. If you were to turn on the tape, you would see how his baseball background and football mechanics mix and match so well. Hall is a gifted athlete and has the ability to improvise when the play breaks. Hall also ran the ball well in college at BYU. Hall will be able to bring a new element to the rushing attack in Minnesota where he is well-versed in quarterback draws, as well as read and zone options. Another bright side to Hall that just explodes off the film is his unique ability to sense pressure. Part of what goes into being a great quarterback is this exact trait. He has the ability to sense pressure and have that internal clock in his head as to when the protection might break, yet he rarely forces himself out of the pocket unless he absolutely must.

In 2022, his last season at BYU, Jaren Hall threw for 3,171 yards with 34 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions, which led to a 113 QBR. Although Hall is a bit small in frame being 6 foot tall and 207 pounds, he makes up for his lack of size with his elite intangibles, his high football IQ, and the ability to sense pressure. His throwing style is very much poetic. Hall, as previously mentioned, can throw from multiple angles, but what really separates Hall is his ability to mix and match his strong arm and velocity to having a good sense of when to use his touch passes as well.

If the Vikings do not extend current starter Kirk Cousins, does the team have a viable option at quarterback after this year of grooming Jaren Hall?