Breece Hall, Iowa State RB

Games Watched: Oregon, Oklahoma, West Virginia

Pros:

  • Phenomenal contact balance, especially on lower body tackle attempts
  • Incredibly elusive
  • Controls his shoulders and body well to reduce tackling surface
  • Nasty spin move that is effective in evading tacklers
  • Good agility in open space
  • Frequently trudges ahead for extra for extra yards
  • Decent play speed
  • Decent change of direction ability
  • Great vision to consistently make the correct read
  • Amazing foresight to predict where and when holes will open up
  • Extremely patient player who waits for holes to open up
  • Keeps feet moving when waiting for holes
  • Does a great job manipulating defenders with footwork

Cons:

  • Not amazing at quickly accelerating into small windows
  • Speed and change of direction is good but nothing special
  • Doesn’t take risks and potentially misses big plays to the outside
  • Slow off the snap allowing defenders into the backfield
  • Not a 3 down back yet
  • Needs more reps as a blocker and receiver

Summary: Breece Hall does almost everything well. He has prototypical size and good speed and agility, but he really separates himself with his phenomenal elusiveness, contact balance, and power to get extra yards. He’s also incredibly smart with phenomenal patience but he has not seen much action as a blocker or receiver and didn’t look particularly great when he did. He needs to flash more in this area to be a true 3 down back.

Hopeful Improvements: What Hall needs to work on is obvious, and that’s showing that he can be a 3 down back. With Kene Nwangwu gone, he will get more of the work on 3rd down and he needs to show more urgency running routes, and more engagement and technique to take guys one on one as a blocker. 

Grade: Breece Hall is a late Round 2 guy for now because showing every down capabilities matters, but if he shows advancement as a receiver and blocker in the added 3rd down reps he should get in 2021 he will likely move up even more.