SALT LAKE CITY – Former BYU quarterback Jaren Hall has an important week ahead of him. The biggest job interview of his life begins to take center stage this week.

That’s because Hall will be one of seven quarterbacks to compete at the 2023 Senior Bowl.

Hall arrived in Mobile, Alabama, on Sunday sporting the signature BYU graduate beard. Upon his arrival, The Senior Bowl social media team featured the star BYU signal-caller in one of their Instagram posts.

Jaren Hall arrives at the 2023 Senior Bowl

 

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The Senior Bowl is viewed as the primer College All-Star game in preparation for the NFL draft. So it’s potentially a big stage for Hall to elevate his draft stock.

The practices are the most notable aspect of the Senior Bowl. Hall will be participating on the “National” team. The other National QBs include Louisville’s Malik Cunningham and Fresno State’s Jake Heaner. Heaner, like Jaren Hall, has been training at 3DQB in California in preparation for Mobile and, eventually, the NFL Combine.

Hall takes on a greater spotlight this week as many top-end quarterback prospects for the 2023 draft are primarily underclassmen. Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s CJ Stroud, both in the same Combine training group at 3DQB with Hall, are projected as the crown jewels. But since they aren’t seniors, they don’t get hands-on coaching from NFL coaches this week in Alabama.

New Orleans Saints quarterback coach D.J Williams will coach Hall and the two other National Team QBs.

OFFENSE – Roster of QBs on the National Team coached by former @GSU_TIGERS QB and current @Saints Offensive Assistant D.J. Williams #Saints #GramFam #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ pic.twitter.com/ACFlvDTY31

— Reese's Senior Bowl (@seniorbowl) January 28, 2023

TCU’s Max Duggan, Houston’s Clayton Tune, and Shepherd University’s Tyson Bagent will compete on the American roster. Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker will be in Mobile but isn’t able to go through practice or the game due to a season-ending ACL injury he suffered in November.

The first glimpse at Hall since an ankle injury in November

Hall started two full seasons at quarterback for BYU. He was excellent in those seasons posting a 15-7 record as the starter. However, his most impressive trait during his two full-time seasons was his ability to take care of the football.

In those 22 starts, he tossed 51 touchdown passes and only threw 11 interceptions. BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said last fall that Hall was already viewed as elite at ball security by NFL scouts and personnel.

This week will also be the first glimpse of Hall since he suffered an ankle injury in the regular season finale last November at Stanford. Hall missed the New Mexico Bowl due to the injury initially deemed “precautionary.” It will be interesting to see how much Hall gets to showcase his ability to run out of the pocket.

Hall will be the first to tell you that he’s a pass-first quarterback, but he’s got top-notch athleticism to pop off big plays on the ground. After BYU suffered a four-game losing streak, the Cougars turned to Hall running the football more than they had in the first nine games. Unfortunately for Hall and BYU, he got hurt on a designed run play in the Stanford game.

Through the air, Hall accumulated 6,174 passing yards during his BYU career. He finished 13th all-time in passing yards in school history. An area of focus for Hall this past season was improving his accuracy on the deep ball.

He finished 2022 completing 46.7% of his pass attempts that went 20+ yards down the field. We’ve seen firsthand from the meteoric rise of Zach Wilson in 2021 what accuracy in deep passes can do for a draft prospect. Having his top target at BYU, Puka Nacua, to throw the ball to at Senior Bowl practice will likely help Hall’s efforts to show his accuracy on deep passes.

Jaren Hall has a chance to elevate his NFL draft stock in Mobile

Entering the Senior Bowl, draft projects on Jaren Hall are mixed. Some outlets view him as a Day Two quarterback. Other draft insiders see him as a Day 3 prospect. A big week in Mobile, could elevate his draft stock to be near the top of the next tier after Young, Stroud, and Kentucky’s Will Levis.

Another storyline that will likely be front and center when Hall is discussed among draftniks is his age. Hall is 24 years old and will turn 25 on March 24. In an era where quarterbacks can play until their 40s, age shouldn’t be that big of a talking point. But every angle will be covered when franchises make multi-million dollar investments. That’s what comes with the territory. The quarterback position takes on even greater scrutiny.

In attempt to un-clutter everyone’s TL this week, all 125 players will be meeting with all 32 NFL teams at @seniorbowl. Absolutely zero need for “Player X met with Team Z” posts. Have a great Monday!

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) January 30, 2023

That enhanced scrutiny can be magnified during interviews and communication with prospects. Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy said on Monday that all the prospects in Mobile would meet with all 32 NFL teams. An excellent chance for Hall to showcase his leadership that everyone universally praised over the past two years in the BYU football program.

The 2023 Senior Bowl game takes place on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on NFL Network.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU moving to the Big 12 Conference on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.

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