Statistical scouting report of New York Jets CB Bryce Hall

Can Virginia cornerback Bryce Hall return to form and prove himself to be the steal of the draft for the New York Jets? Cornerback was one of the Jets' primary needs coming into the draft, but it was not addressed until way down in the fifth round at No. 158 overall. Luckily for the Jets, they were able to snag a player who was widely considered a first-round talent until a season-ending left ankle injury in 2019 - Virginia's Bryce Hall. Can Hall prove to be a Day 3 gem for the Jets secondary? Let's dig into the numbers. Positives Elite 2018 season Hall was spectacular in his 2018 junior season. He made a ton of plays on the football, putting himself in position to potentially be a first-round pick if he declared for the 2019 Draft. In addition to two interceptions, Hall recorded 21 pass deflections in 2018, which led the entire nation. That also tied him for the most deflections in a single season by an ACC player since 2000 (as far back as data is available). A wide receiver in high school, Hall has carried over those ball skills to the defensive side. On-ball plays are nice, but they alone do not tell the whole story. Sometimes, a cornerback's struggles are masked by a misleading number of passes defended. That is not the case with Hall. In 2018, he allowed just 6.1 yards per target and a 69.0 passer rating, giving up 34 completions on 72 targets (47.2% rate) for 436 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. To boot, Hall threw in two sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. He deservedly earned First-Team All-ACC honors. Excellent 2017 season Hall's sophomore box score numbers (eight passes defended, one interception, one sack, one forced fumble) are not as eye-popping as the totals he would post the following season, but his coverage was just as good. In 2017, Hall allowed 26 completions on 59 targets (44.1% rate) for 351 yards (5.9 per target), three touchdowns, and one interception (73.5 passer rating). Despite missing eight games in 2019, Hall still ranked third in the nation with 37 forced incompletions from 2018-19 (which includes passes broken up that don't register in the box score in addition to deflections and interceptions). Continued dominance in 2019 prior to injury After Hall took the nation by storm with his play-making prowess as a junior, teams began shying away from him in his senior season. Hall saw the ball thrown his way 72 times over 427 coverage snaps in 2018, which is one target every 5.9 snaps. That's a relatively high number, as the NCAA average is around 6.5. In 2019, Hall was targeted 22 times over 188 coverage snaps, an average of 8.5 snaps per target. That put Hall at the 89th percentile among cornerbacks. In turn, Hall was tagged with allowing a measly 0.63 yards per coverage snap, good enough for the 95th percentile. Hall's senior season was unfortunately cut short after six games, but it had already been established how much teams respected his ability. Opponents threw him at far less frequently than they had before. And when quarterbacks did try him, Hall still made them pay, giving up career-lows of 5.4 yards per target and a 66.3 passer rating. Splashy plays get all of the hype, but in reality, the best cornerbacks are the ones who clamp down their side of the field so tightly that they don't get the chance to make plays because the ball rarely even comes their way. Hall was that kind of player when healthy in 2019. Play-making and reliability as a tackler Hall had a unique knack for making a large number of big plays both in coverage and coming downhill as a tackler. From 2017-19, Hall tied for sixth in college football with 33 pass deflections and also picked up 9.5 tackles for loss. Of the 25 players over that span with at least 25 pass deflections, Hall ranked second in tackles for loss per game (0.297), trailing only Louisiana Tech's Amik Robertson (just drafted by the Raiders in the fourth round). Similar to his performance in coverage, Hall doesn't just make the noticeable plays as a tackler. He finishes with consistency in addition to racking up the highlights. Hall allowed only 2.9 yards after catch per reception in 2018. Locking down NFL-caliber opponents Over the past two seasons, Hall faced five wide receivers that went on to be drafted. In 2018: Kelvin Harmon, North Carolina St. (R6 #206 to WAS in 2019) Bryan Edwards, South Carolina (R3 #81 to LVR in 2020) Antonio Gandy-Golden, Liberty (R4 #124 to WAS in 2020) In 2019: Chase Claypool, Notre Dame (R2 #49 to PIT in 2020) K.J. Osborn, Miami (FL) (R5 #176 to MIN in 2020) Against Hall and the Cavaliers, those five players combined to average 4.2 receptions for 49.8 yards and 0.2 touchdowns. Over the rest of their games (during the same season in which they faced Hall), those players averaged 5.3 receptions for 75.5 yards and 0.7 touchdowns. Size Hall has the ideal build for an outside cornerback. He possesses solid length and size, but is not overly lanky or large to the point where he cannot keep up with quicker opponents. 6'1" (81st percentile among cornerbacks) 202 pounds (83rd percentile) 32¼" arm length (79th percentile) 9⅝" hand size (84th percentile) Interestingly, two of Hall's top-three physical comparisons (via MockDraftable) are members of the Jets - undrafted free agent pickup Lamar Jackson and 2019 sixth-round selection Blessuan Austin. The Jets are beginning to show a strong preference for lengthy cornerbacks. Five members of their deep cornerback group possess top-tier length, four of which were added by Douglas in 2020. Pierre Desir: 33" (93rd percentile) Blessuan Austin: 32½" (85th percentile) Quincy Wilson: 32¼" (79th percentile) Lamar Jackson: 32¼" (79th percentile) Bryce Hall: 32¼" (79th percentile) Negatives Injuries Any criticism of Hall from a production standpoint feels like nitpicking. He did allow six touchdowns from 2017-18, but he did not give one up over 22 targets in 2019. Overall, Hall gave up six touchdowns over 153 targets from 2017-19, a 3.9% rate that is comfortably below the 2019 NFL average of 4.5%. Health is the primary concern. Hall most likely would have heard his name called on the first night of the draft if he declared after 2018. He was on track to maintain that status in 2019 until a season-ending left ankle injury. Hall's injury status may be more serious then we know considering how far he tumbled on draft weekend. However, it is also worth keeping in mind that teams were probably much less comfortable with gambling on injuries this year due to the fact that they were unable to bring prospects to their facility or attend pro days. In terms of production alone, Hall is the most tantalizing defensive player that the Jets have added in 2020 - even including free agency and the trade market.