Provo to LA? BYU QB Jaren Hall Could Be Rams NFL Draft Fit
With Matthew Stafford set to re-assume his duties under center for the Los Angeles Rams at age 35, the Los Angeles Rams appear interested in adding another aging quarterback ... at least in terms of would-be NFL rookies.
In reporting from Brigham Young University's pro day, Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network mentioned that the Rams delegation took a special interest in quarterback Jaren Hall, a 25-year-old set to move on from Provo to the pros.
Pauline says that while several potentially starter-hungry teams, such as Detroit and Indianapolis, were intrigued for greater immediate duties, he said that the Rams "are looking to come out of the draft with a No. 2 signal-caller," a potential project for the final years of Stafford's accomplished career.
While the Cougar program probably has some work to do in convincing the football public about the long-term effectiveness of their quarterbacks after Zach Wilson's poor showing as the second overall choice with the New York Jets, Hall has done his best to buck the dangerous trends.
Over his two seasons as the Cougars' primary thrower, Hall, his age inflated by the required BYU Mormon mission, earned 5,754 yards and 57 total scores, picking up where Wilson left off collegiately.
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared Hall's skillset to that of current Colts thrower Gardner Minshew.
"An undersized pocket quarterback with unimpressive arm strength, Hall’s field command gives him a shot to make it at the next level," Zierlein wrote. "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."
In addition to his gridiron duties, Hall also repped the Cougars' baseball team for two seasons. As a shortstop, he hit .235 with two home runs and 11 runs batted in.
The Rams, along with so many other spots on their roster, will look to fill holes for both now and later as they try to pick up the pieces from their woebegone Super Bowl defense. Hall could be an intriguing long-term project to work with if/when the fun and luster of the all-or-nothing Stafford gambit wears off.
The 2023 NFL Draft will be held on April 27-29 in Kansas City.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Rams? Click Here
Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Ram Digest message board community today!
Follow Ram Digest on Twitter and Facebook.
Want even more L.A. Rams news? Check out the SI.com team page here.
