Rookie Spotlight: Breece Hall, Iowa State
Height: 5’ 11”
Weight: 217 lbs
Hands: 9 3/4”
Arm: 31 1/4”
40 yard dash: 4.39
NFL Comparison: Matt Forte, Joseph Addai

College Production (Final Season)
63% team rushes
12% team receptions
32% total team yards
49% total team TDs

Pros
Elite contact balance
Durable
Breakaway speed
3 years of consistent production
Crazy athletic testing
Explosive
Big, soft hands
Thick lower half
Patient for blocks
Good open field vision
Excellent lateral agility

Cons
Upright runner
A lot of wear on the tires (800+ touches)
Indecisive too often
Primarily a zone back, experience wise
Incomplete blocker
More fast than quick

Scouting Notes:
Hall is built like your prototypical power back, with a sturdy frame and thick lower half, but he plays like a smaller back as he’s light on his feet and seems to evade direct contact more often than he confronts it. That’s not to say he can’t take a hit. Hall has contact balance in spades, but he tends to careen off of contact when he’s not spinning away from it or sidestepping to freedom. A patient runner, Hall is not a one cut and up kind of guy. He plays indecisively at times, dancing a bit much when he could just as well use his powerful frame to power forward. More often than not though, his maneuvering works to his advantage, and he finds a lane to exploit for plus yardage, as his open field vision is one of his strong suits. Once he’s worked his way into the second level and built up speed, Hall is hard to catch. His 4.39 40 time proves that, though that speed doesn’t always present itself in close quarters – He’s more fast than quick. As a receiver, Hall has big 9 ¾” mitts that cradle the ball, and he displays creativity after the catch. He caught 36 balls last season, so it’s safe to say that he’s comfortable in that role. His efforts as a pass blocker are not that consistent though, and he often serves as little more than a distraction for blitzing defenders. This downside is one he’ll have to improve to stay on the field on 3rd downs in the NFL. The biggest plus for Hall is his will to finish plays and/or find the end-zone – Hall set an FBS record of 24 straight games with a rushing TD.

Fantasy Outlook:
The proof is in the pudding with Hall, who’s been consistently productive in a major program against top tier competition for 3 years. This could also be seen as a deterrent to some teams who may view his 800+ touches as excessive, though he’s avoided the injury bug and he’ll only be 21 during his rookie season. His young age and knack for production make him a dynasty boon though, and I would gladly take him as my first RB in that format. In fact, his ability to start and potentially play all 3 downs out of the box makes him a considerably high value redraft pick as well, depending on where he lands. He’s almost identical in build to Isaiah Spiller, but he’s more athletic and considerably faster, so he’s a safer pick pre-draft. If Hall can shore up his pass protection, don’t be surprised to see him develop into a high end PPR fantasy machine in year one.