The New York Jets pulled the surprise of the NFL draft when they traded up and selected Iowa State running back Breece Hall with the No. 35 overall pick in the second round.
Not many projected that Gang Green would select a running back at all, let alone make such an aggressive play for one so early. Now it seems like their risky play could pay major dividends in 2022.
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Living up to the Hype
Flight 2022, the five-episode Jets docu-series bringing fans behind the scenes, provided a ton of film study with the coaching staff.
One of the coolest nuggets from the series came when offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur was asked about the acquisition of Hall and how he’d fit in the offense this season:
“He is just the ultimate combination of speed and size. [Hall] is up there close to 220 pounds and he ran in that high 4.3s. When you watch college football these running backs don’t really run outside zone the way it is taught in the NFL. Well on Breece’s tape you can see it when he is in the open field and that’s what we look for.”
#Jets OC Mike LaFleur called RB Breece Hall (@BreeceH) the ‘ultimate combination of speed & size’ + said he’s a ‘complete player’ that can turn 3 yard dump offs into touchdowns + didn’t think he’d be available in 2nd round: 🎥 @nyjets #TakeFlight #Flight2022 @CycloneFB #JetsCamp
According to multiple reports, the Jets tried trading back into the backend of the first round to select Hall.
That would’ve given Gang Green a record-tying four first-round draft choices, just as they had 21 years ago back in 2000 with that franchise-altering class.
LaFleur admitted when they failed to pull that off that he didn’t think the Jets were going to be able to get Hall and he wasn’t even “in my thoughts initially” until we moved up and got him.
During an on stage interview w/ @melissastark, @CycloneFB RB Breece Hall (@BreeceH) revealed that the @nyjets tried to trade back into the first round of #NFLDraft to select him. Instead they trade up in the second round & get their RB1: 🎥 @nflnetwork #TakeFlight #NFL #Jets
Get Your Popcorn Ready
So what can we expect from the highest-drafted running back by the Jets in 31 years?
According to Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports, Hall is projected to be the “most productive” rookie running back in 2022.
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“He’s decisive, runs with quality vision, has requisite elusiveness for a bigger, thicker back, and possesses low-key impressive long speed. Hall had 22 runs of 15-plus yards in 2022, the seventh-most in the draft class. In New York, Hall will assume No. 1 back duties from the jump. On what should be an improved offense altogether, Hall will be the most productive rookie runner.”
Heading into the third day of the 2022 NFL draft, college football analyst Desmond Howard predicted that Hall would win the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award for this upcoming season.
.@DesmondHoward predicted that former @CycloneFB RB Breece Hall (@BreeceH) will win the #NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2022 w/ the #Jets, ‘a workhorse back’ + ‘will be a great safety net for @ZachWilson’: 🎥 @CollegeGameDay #TakeFlight #NFLDraft
If that crystal ball prediction came to fruition, Hall would become the first offensive rookie in Jets history to walk away with that honor.
The former Iowa State product will be teaming up with second-year running back Michael Carter to form a Batman-to-Robin combo. Don’t be mistaken though, despite MC’s senior status, he will be playing second fiddle in this offense.
Hall is expected to be the guy that receives the bulk of the carries as Carter works in the short passing game and situationally as a pure runner.
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Jets 21-Year-Old Is ‘Ultimate Combination of Speed & Size’: Coach