Breece Hall 2022 NFL Draft Overview
Position: Running Back
Height: 5′-11″
Weight: 217 pounds
School: Iowa State
Breece Hall 2022 NFL Draft Profile
After three wildly successful seasons at Iowa State, running back Breece Hall decided to skip his final year of eligibility and declare for the 2022 NFL Draft. Hall is coming off of a phenomenal season where, for all intents and purposes, he was the Iowa State offense. Starting in 12 games, the running back finished the year with 1,472 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on 253 carries to go along with 36 receptions for 302 yards and three touchdowns.
Hall originally joined Iowa State as a four-star recruit, per 24/7 Sports. The young runner immediately carved out a role for himself, recording 897 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 186 carries to go along with 23 receptions for 252 yards and one touchdown. He followed this up by recording 279 carries for 1,572 yards and 21 touchdowns as a sophomore.
Strengths
- A true bellcow running back – 200+ touches in each season;
- Elite speed in the open field;
- Touchdown machine that can score from anywhere once in the second level;
- Early declare with phenomenal age-adjusted production;
- Top tier athleticism – 94th percentile burst score
- Not a product of his blocking – Iowa State’s offensive line was subpar;
- Falls forward when hit;
- Reliable hands to develop into a solid third down option.
Weaknesses
- Lateral agility leaves something to be desired;
- Nothing special as an east-west runner;
- Won’t make too many guys miss in the backfield;
- Lacks the size to consistently break tackles against NFL caliber defensive linemen;
- Can be a little too cautious attacking his initial read.
NFL Comparison: Ezekiel Elliott
Teams With Need At Position: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks
Projection: Round 2
Bottom Line on Breece Hall
Breece Hall is probably the best running back in this draft class, both from a film and analytical perspective. On the film side, Hall’s elite athleticism shows up every single time he gets the ball in open space. He’s too big for linebackers and safeties and has the speed to outrun cornerbacks, making him a threat to score every time he makes it into the second level. Additionally, while he’ll never be Alvin Kamara, he does have the passing game skills required to be a solid third down option at the next level.
From the analytics side, the fact Hall dominated from Day 1 in college combined with the fact Iowa State funneled their offense through him shows that he has what it takes to be one of the few three-down running backs in today’s NFL. It can sometimes be difficult to separate a running back’s success from their offensive line, but that isn’t an issue in Hall’s case. Iowa State did not have a good offensive line, yet Hall still managed to produce at a high level throughout his collegiate tenure.
Hall is a great talent, but there are a few flaws to his game. While his straight-line speed is phenomenal, he’s not quite as fast moving laterally, and linebackers can catch up to him when he’s moving sideline to sideline. Additionally, his height and weight are just average for an NFL back, meaning that he’ll have a tough time running through defensive linemen at the professional level.
Ultimately, the negative points of his film are just nitpicks. There’s no such thing as a perfect prospect, and Hill is no exception. That being said, he should be fantastic in the NFL and deserves to be the first running back off the board.
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