BYU QB Jaren Hall Listed by CBS Sports as Potential Next Brock Purdy
Two months ago, if somebody had asked you who the next Brock Purdy would be, you’d have likely been confused about the question. Back then, Purdy was a rookie backup quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers who’d yet to have a chance to show what he could do.
Up until that point, the most noteworthy aspect of Purdy’s professional career was that he was selected with the No. 262 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, making him Mr. Irrelevant.
Now, Purdy is a finalist for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and has a 7-0 record as a starter, and will lead his 49ers into the NFC Championship Game this weekend.
CBS Sports evaluated quarterback prospects entering the 2023 NFL Draft in hopes of discovering the next Brock Purdy. The process started by eliminating early draft picks Bryce Young (Alabama), C.J. Stroud (Ohio State), Will Levis (Kentucky), and Anthony Richardson (Florida) as their first-round evaluations make them overly qualified from a talent perspective to fall in the draft.
The second round of eliminations ruled out Stanford’s Tanner McKee, Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker, and Purdue’s Aiden O’Connell as mid-round guys that don’t fit Purdy’s playstyle or draft position. Hendon Hooker leads the bunch with a second-round draft evaluation ranking as the 4th best quarterback prospect according to NFLDraftBuzz, while McKee was evaluated as a potential late second to mid-round selection and Aiden O’Connell as a fifth-round pick.
Their third and final elimination from the prospect class saw Houston’s Clayton Tune, Louisville’s Malik Cunningham, TCU’s Max Duggan, and UCLA’s Dorian Thompson Robinson. While the four quarterbacks listed above are better fits for a Purdy-like career through draft position and skillset, the minds at CBS Sports had three finalists that fall into the Purdy category. One of the three is a Big 12 quarterback.
The three finalists for the next Brock Purdy include BYU’s Jaren Hall, Fresno State’s Jake Haener, and Georgia’s Stetson Bennett. All three of the quarterbacks listed have been pegged as late day-three selections loosely as Bennett should see a major rise up the board after winning back-to-back national titles, but nonetheless, each could have a similar career to Brock Purdy given the right situation.
CBS had this to say about BYU quarterback Jaren Hall, “The BYU star is finishing as the runner-up here. Why? How he handles pressure. Now, Purdy wasn’t a magician under pressure at Iowa State. However, I do think he dealt with crumbling pockets and free rushers from the outside with more comfort and assertiveness than Hall. Also, Hall has a more live arm than Purdy. Yes, I’m nitpicking. I know. But this late in the process of elimination I have to be. Everything else is pretty spot-on between the two. And mostly due to his age (24), Hall very well could land in Round 7.”
Jaren Hall had a prolific career at BYU throwing for a total of 6,174 passing yards, 52 touchdowns, and only 11 interceptions. The athleticism is purdyesque adding 181 carries for a total of 796 yards and nine total rushing touchdowns. If an NFL team lucks into Jaren Hall late in the Draft, look for the former cougar to be ready for his moment.
