Jeremiah Hall Scouting Report

Background

NAME: Jeremiah Hall

POSITION: FB

SCHOOL: Oklahoma

HEIGHT: 6’1 1/8″

WEIGHT: 241 lbs

CLASS: Redshirt Senior

HOMETOWN: Charlotte, NC

HIGH SCHOOL: Vance

DOB: 11/6/1998

Despite being listed as a tight end recruit, combing through Jeremiah Hall’s offer list makes clear he’s been a fullback since the beginning. Charleston Southern, Air Force, and Navy, all triple option offenses, extended him offers coming out of Vance HS in Charlotte. Other Power 5 schools with interest included Syracuse, Pitt, and Maryland. In the end, Hall joined the Sooners, by far the highest profile team to offer him and the only school he took a visit to.

After a redshirt year in 2017 and a quiet 2018 season, Hall gradually worked his way onto the field in regular roles. In 2019, he pulled in 16 receptions for 169 yards and 3 TDs, then bumped it up to 18 for 218 and 5 TDs in 2020. As a senior in 2021, he had his best season yet – 32 catches for 334 yards and 4 TDs, plus the only rushing TD of his career.

GAMES WATCHED: 2021 – Nebraska, Texas, TCU, Texas Tech

For an explanation of Alex’s grading scale, refer to this article.

Trait Grades

Versatility – 65/80 (Star): Hall has been used in just about every role an H-back could possibly be expected to. Whether it’s as the up man in I-form, the sniffer back, an in-line TE, or a slot receiver, the Charlotte native has excelled wherever he’s been put on the field. The only thing holding this grade back is his rushing ability – with only 13 career carries as a Sooner, there’s limited information to draw conclusions from.

Physicality – 70/80 (Star): Hall has a mean streak to him whether he’s springing his guys free for a big run or running through you as a ballcarrier. In both run and pass situations, he plays through the whistle and makes sure his defender ends up on the ground. With the ball in his hands, his clear preference is to run through you rather than around you.

Run Blocking – 65/80 (Star): Oklahoma uses Hall as a lead blocker often because of their heavy usage of read option and outside runs, which points to the trust they have in him to ensure those plays gain them chunk yardage. Often, if the Sooners are moving the ball on the ground, Hall is a big reason why. However, there are occasions where he gets thrown aside by stronger defenders, a potential concern when projecting his blocking usage against better athletes in the NFL.

Pass Catching – 70/80 (Star): Hall is clearly closer to the FB/TE mold than the FB/RB one based on how well he catches the ball. Not only does he have sure hands, but I also saw the ability to extend outside of his frame to make a few snags, including in the red zone for touchdowns. Hall was also trusted as a receiver in traffic as a Sooner, with a few choice fights through the catchpoint to secure receptions.

Power – 55/80 (Above Average): Without many rushing reps on file, we have to turn to Hall’s blocking and RAC ability to inform us on his power. As I mentioned earlier, he has small issues holding onto blocks against stronger shedders. Similarly, while he has the attitude to run through guys as a RAC threat, those efforts often end in going down or being forced out of bounds at or near first contact. For his effort, I’ll give him a few points, but otherwise I don’t think he’s some sort of powerhouse.

Contested Catch – 55/80 (Above Average): Despite praising the trust the Sooners had in Hall in traffic earlier, I think that there are some reps where he leaves the door open for defenders a bit too much. His hands through contact are generally very good, as his ability to navigate the crowd for positioning. Overall, I think he’s a solid but not fantastic option as a pro.

Pass Blocking – 60/80 (Above Average): I found myself almost wishing that Hall struggled as a pass blocker because he’s so valuable as a receiver, but I thought he was mostly a standout as a sixth blocker. When engaged with his defender, Hall’s anchor and hand replacement against blitzers are phenomenal. Without a clear assignment off the snap, I thought he sometimes struggled to stay in front of rushers in open space because he’s not the greatest lateral mover.

Route Running – 55/80 (Above Average): Hall’s route tree was pretty well-developed at Oklahoma, with a steady diet of flats and wheels and the occasional crosser or Texas thrown in. Especially against Nebraska and fellow Senior Bowler JoJo Domann, he seemed to struggle with his releases, which led to a lot of routes being more covered up than necessary.

Frame – 55/80 (Above Average): Both height and weight are above average for fullback, according to the RAS calculator. However, I’m curious if those results hold up if you separate players closer to the RB/FB archetype, who tend to be smaller than H-back/TE types. Hall moves decently well for a player his size, so I’m willing to stick with just above average despite my suspicions that his RAS size score would decrease if FB was a segmented position.

Ball Security – 50/80 (Average): Hall hasn’t fumbled as a collegian, but again we’re working with a limited amount of reps as a rusher. With the ball in his hands after the catch, he seems to secure it well. But with few showings on film as a rusher, I’m not comfortable going above average on this one.

Ceiling – 60/80

Red Flags – 10/10

Final Grade (w/o RAS): 4.91

Round Grade: 7th

Summary: The Air Raid offense doesn’t exactly bring fullbacks to mind right away, but Lincoln Riley’s version has always favored having a versatile weapon in the backfield to keep defenses on their toes. That usage has also begun to creep back into the NFL, where players like San Francisco’s Kyle Juszczyk or Buffalo’s Reggie Gilliam have made impacts as H-back type players. Usage of a sniffer TE has also increased in recent years, especially in Indianapolis. A fullback has been drafted in 4 of the last 5 drafts, including multiple in 2017 and 2019. So, while watching and grading the position may seem silly, ignoring them entirely is doing yourself a disservice.

The Charlotte native has lined up just about everywhere on the field as a Sooner – sniffer, traditional I-form fullback, in-line TE, out of the slot, you name it. Wherever he goes, you can bet the OU run game followed, as Riley’s clear preference was to direct run plays off of blocks from his most versatile player. Once defenses thought they’d caught on, Hall would slip unnoticed into the secondary for huge gains as a receiver.

Hall is one of three versatile threats that I think have a chance to be drafted and make an impact for NFL teams, along with Michigan State’s Connor Heyward and Northern Illinois’ Clint Ratkovich. What separates Hall from these two is his downfield receiving ability: with a yards per catch average over 11, it’s obvious that the former Sooner is more than a dump-off option. I think he’s a great fit in any Shanahan-style offense wanting a Juszczyk of their own – especially in Miami, where 49ers run game wizard Mike McDaniel was just hired as head coach.