Overview
Position: Wide receiver
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 201 pounds
School: Missouri Tigers
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.39 seconds
Bench press: 15 reps
Vertical jump: 43.5 inches (tied for second-best at 2019 Combine)
Broad jump: 11 feet, 9 inches (tied for best at 2019 Combine)
Emanuel Hall 2019 NFL Draft Profile
A multi-sport athlete in high school, Emanuel Hall excelled as both a football player and a track athlete. He went for 889 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior at Centennial High in Franklin, TN. A few years earlier, he won AAU Junior Olympic gold medals in the pentathlon and high jump events. The latter event hinted at his lower-body explosiveness which he would exhibit quite a few years later when he participated in this year’s Combine. The three-star, all-state product liked what he saw out of Missouri and committed to the Tigers in the summer of his senior year of high school.
It took some time for Hall to find his footing within the Mizzou receiving corps. He totaled just 371 yards and two touchdowns during his first two seasons in Columbia. Though it came against lower competition, he did have a triple-digit receiving yard effort as a true sophomore when he registered 122 yards and a score in a win over FCS Delaware State. On both of his touchdown grabs that year, Hall showcased his potential as a vertical threat.
He subsequently unleashed it during his last two seasons with the Tigers. His 817 receiving yards in 2017 were second on the team behind J’Mon Moore and the average length of his eight touchdowns that year was a whopping 49.5 yards. His yardage output increased slightly as a senior (828 yards) even if he caught two fewer touchdown passes. But for the second straight season, he exceeded 20 yards per catch and averaged 23.6 combined during his junior and senior campaigns.
Strengths
- NFL caliber physical traits including long arms;
- short-area quickness really jumps out;
- impressive change of direction athleticism;
- showcases quite a bit of value as a vertical playmaker;
- boasts the raw speed to beat single-high safeties down the sidelines;
- exhibits solid footwork at route transition points;
- had 12 multi-catch games in college where he averaged over 20 yards per reception;
- willing to get hands dirty as a blocker in run support;
- Combine measurables suggest incredible lower-body power;
- an every-down competitor who plays with intensity and will to win.
Weaknesses
- a prospect who might get the “more fast than athletic” label from scouts;
- doesn’t play as long as he’s capable of given his frame;
- needs to become more of a fighter in contested catch situations;
- a fairly basic route-runner who needs to expand his route tree;
- needs more sharpness at the top of routes;
- lacks physicality against corners who try to crowd him;
- though he improved as a senior, he did struggle with drops in college;
- must match willingness to block with effectiveness at it.
NFL Comparison: Chris Conley
Teams With Need at Position: Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers
Projection: Third to fourth round
Bottom Line
Hall’s downfield heroics will certainly pique the interest of teams in need of a potential game-changer at the position. He looks the part of a next level receiver and has traits that suggest the ability to generate a large catch radius. He’s a fluid mover in tight spaces and is able to make highlight-reel catches deep down the field. And it should be noted that no wide receiver this decade posted a better broad jump at the Combine than he did.
He’s far from a finished product, though. Hall doesn’t run particularly crisp routes and needs to add more to his repertoire. He could struggle in off-man coverage against corners who’ll attempt to jam him at route transition points. Focus drops and lack consistently being able to make catches in traffic are also a concern. Absent these deficiencies, Hall would project as an early day two and potentially late first-round pick.
But as it stands, Hall possesses plenty of characteristics that make him NFL-ready. There are myriad examples in recent years of instant impact rookie receivers who come off the board in the middle rounds. Think players such as Kenny Golladay, Antonio Callaway, Michael Gallup, and Cooper Kupp among others. Time will tell if Hall invariably joins them during the 2019 season.
