Breece Hall – RB – Iowa State

Quick Introduction:

With a stellar NFL Draft Profile – Breece Hall has all of the skills to be a legitimate 3 down back in the NFL and has improved the passing side of his game. His size and skillset make him a standout running back in the class and will be a difference maker at the next level. Last year the hype in the draft was surrounding Najee Harris in 2020 but it was actually Hall who led the yards with over 1500 on the ground.

His size and skills combined with his ability to be a 3 down back remind a lot of the Chicago Bears’ David Montgomery.

Measurables:

       Height – 5’11

          Weight – 217 LBS

          40 Time – 4.39 Seconds

          Broad Jump – 126

        Vertical Jump – 40

Notable Headlines:

In his senior year at high school, Hall made a name for himself as he rushed for over 2000 yards and 29 touchdowns as he received first-team All Metro and first-team All State honors and was named the Wichita Metro Player of the Season. Off the back of a successful season this led to Hall receiving a number of college offers before he committed to the Iowa State Cyclones.

Hall had a successful first season for the Cyclones. He rushed for shy of 900 yards and tapped into the end zone 9 times on the year. In his sophomore year he caught the Nation’s attention as he established himself as a key component of the Cyclones run game and helped them to the Big 12 title.

Throughout the season he rushed for 1572 yards and 21 touchdowns. Most notably, Hall was the first player since LaDanian Tomlinson to rush over 100 yards with a touchdown in seven straight games to start a season. He also contributed in the receiving game as he hauled in 23 catches for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns. Hall was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year for 2020.

In the past season Hall lit up the Big 12 as he was crowned the leading rusher for a second consecutive season. With 1472 yards and scoreing 23 touchdowns and also had a career-high 36 receptions on the year for 302 yards. A successful final collegiate year led to him being named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year for a second consecutive season.

Scouting Report:

Positives:

Hall is a 3 down bell-cow back who is a smart and patient runner. He is a top quality one cut back and has an understanding of how to read the second-level blocks. He’s improved his pass game abilities in the past few years and has natural hands and rarely fumbles the ball. I would say that he has the best vision of this year’s running back class. He’s an instinctive and decisive back who will find and pick the holes and explode into them.     

Deadly in open space. He’s an elusive back and if you give him the opportunity his speed will leave defenders behind in a flash. A strong player with a nice stiff arm and very good at making yards after contact.

Hall’s ability to read the game and his acceleration which helps him explode into the second level make him a constant threat. His playmaking abilities are second to none and he will make big plays out of nothing.

Negatives:

Whilst Hall has excellent natural speed he is by no means guaranteed to take it home. My worry would be that against NFL defensive backs he will get chased down. He may even get chased down by linebackers.       

In the past season Hall has shown a big improvement in getting involved in the receiving side of the game. He will need to continue to improve his route running ability to be effective in the NFL.

Throughout college we have seen a lot of Breece Hall. It may be a slight concern to scouts with the workload he’s seen (718 rush attempts and 82 receptions) and scouts may be asking themselves if this will take its toll on the talented running back.

Pre Draft Analysis:

Expected Draft Capital:

         2nd Round

Landing Spots:

I can see the Buffalo Bills target a running back in the draf. Honestly I think Breece Hall would likely be their best running back since the LeSean McCoy heyday. Hall is a running back that can do it all and he would be a great fit for the Bills. He can handle a high volume of carries and a much improved ability to get involved as a pass catcher.

The only question that remains is whether the Bills would want to use such a high draft pick on a running back?

-Luke Renton @MCRsBlue