Getty BYU quarterback Jaren Hall's draft stock is rising.
As Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo continue to look for new homes, there is a chance the Seattle Seahawks wait until 2023 to address the quarterback position. ESPN’s Matt Miller has the Seahawks targeting BYU quarterback Jaren Hall with the No. 9 puck in his latest 2023 mock draft.
Miller described Hall as a “big-play” signal-caller who possesses a “whip-strong right arm.” As fans witnessed with Russell Wilson, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has preferred quarterbacks who have a strong arm to give defenses the threat for the occasional deep pass.
“There is a lot of projection involved with a mock draft almost a year out from the real thing, but it shouldn’t be out of the question that Hall makes the leap into the top-10 discussion,” Miller wrote on June 28, 2022. “He has big-play ability stacked on a 6-foot-1 frame and can produce with a whip-strong right arm or shifty mobility. His 20 touchdown passes to five interceptions point to his accuracy and smart decision-making. The Seahawks need a quarterback with Russell Wilson now in Denver, and they are a candidate to watch for a potential trade up.”
The 6’1″, 205-pound quarterback threw for 2,583 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 63.9% of his passes last season. The BYU quarterback also added 307 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
ALL the latest Seahawks news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Seahawks newsletter here!
There Are 5 Quarterbacks Projected to Be Selected in the First Round in 2023
Hall will not be the only option for the Seahawks to consider in next year’s draft. One year after Kenny Pickett was the only signal-caller to be selected on the first day, Miller has five quarterbacks going off the board in the first round. As Miller mentioned, the Seahawks could consider trading up if they want to ensure the team lands the quarterback of their choice. The mock draft projections have Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud as the first quarterback selected at No. 5 followed by Alabama’s Bryce Young (No. 7) and Kentucky’s Will Levis (No. 8) going just above Hall.
Whether the Seahawks get aggressive in drafting a franchise quarterback next offseason could depend on if the team makes a trade for a veteran prior to the start of the upcoming season.
CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reported that the Seahawks are not only interested in acquiring Mayfield but would consider signing the quarterback to a contract extension. Under this scenario, it is hard to imagine the Seahawks would also use a top-10 pick on a rookie quarterback.
“I’m told the Seahawks still have a high-level of interest in acquiring QB Baker Mayfield and behind-the-scenes are open to contractually extending him, per league source,” Anderson tweeted on June 22. “I also know that the process of collecting information and insights into Mayfield is still ongoing.”
Hall: ‘There Are a Lot of Things to Clean Up’
Time will tell if Hall will emerge as a legitimate threat to be selected prior to Stroud or Young, the early consensus top two quarterbacks heading into the college football season. Hall admitted he has a “lot of things to clean up” before he can become an NFL quarterback.
“I have thought about that every day since I have been a kid,” Hall told KSL Sports last December. “There hasn’t been a day where I haven’t thought about playing in the NFL, or the MLB when I was doing both. It would be a surreal feeling. Hopefully, it’s closer than far away but we will see what happens. I had a decent year but there are a lot of things to clean up and a lot of ways I need to mature and be a better quarterback to be worth something at the next level.”