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You are more than welcome to be excited by the idea of the Seahawks drafting RB Breece Hall

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You are more than welcome to be excited by the idea of the Seahawks drafting RB Breece Hall

What if Seattle took the best running back prospect this year instead of the best quarterback prospect?

Seaside Joe
Apr 5, 2022
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You are more than welcome to be excited by the idea of the Seahawks drafting RB Breece Hall

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In 2004, the Denver Broncos selected running back Tatum Bell with the 41st pick in the draft. Bell was 5’11, 212 lbs at the combine, ran a 4.37, jumped 38.5”, and posted 117” in the broad. He had dominated college ball for his final two seasons, rushing for over 6.0 yards per carry as a junior and a senior at Oklahoma State, scoring 27 touchdowns in his last 22 games.

In 2020, the Indianapolis Colts selected running back Jonathan Taylor with the 41st pick in the draft. Taylor was 5’10, 226 lbs at the combine, ran a 4.39, jumped 36”, and posted 123” in the broad. He had three dominant seasons of college football, rushing for almost 4,200 yards and 37 touchdowns in his last 27 games.

In 2022, the Seattle Seahawks have the 41st pick in the draft. They have a head coach whose served as the catalyst for a number of moves in the draft, free agency, and trade, that make his intentions clear with regards to the running back position: He loves these players more than most. From Rashaad Penny to Marshawn Lynch to Eddie Lacy and Christine Michael, Pete Carroll has shown no care for “conventional wisdom” at running back.

Twitter avatar for @87_Carey
Dave Carey @87_Carey
I haven't seen any prospects hold as firm of a grasp on the RB1 position as Breece Hall does since Ezekiel Elliott
11:13 PM ∙ Apr 2, 2022
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Breece Hall is a running back in the 2022 NFL Draft. He is 5’11, 217 lbs, ran a 4.39, jumped 40”, posted 126” in the broad, and he’s been college football’s best running back over the last two seasons, rushing for over 3,000 yards and 41 touchdowns in his last 24 games at Iowa State.

Twitter avatar for @PFF_College
PFF Draft @PFF_College
Breece Hall since 2019: 🥇 3,920 rushing yards (most in P5) 🥇2,310 yards after contact (most) 🥇 50 rushing TDs (most) 🥇 194 forced missed tackles (most)
1:07 AM ∙ Mar 31, 2022
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I have not done much more on Seaside Joe than allude to the probability that the Seahawks will choose a running back in the draft, suggesting that somewhere on day two is a reasonable estimate. Suddenly, Carroll could be in the unique position of being able to actually draft the best running back in the class—whether that’s Hall, Kenneth Walker III, or somebody else.

It’s so unfortunate that so many of Seattle’s fans have robbed themselves of the chance to be happy about the Seahawks drafting a running back in the second round, if that’s what Carroll and John Schneider choose to do. I do not want you to be so robbed.

If the Seahawks pick Breece Hall this year, allow yourselves to be as excited in that moment as you would be if you could travel back in time and re-visit the Marshawn Lynch trade with hindsight. That’s not to say that Hall will meet those expectations, but all I hear from the people who are begging for Malik Willis is, “Can’t you just allow us to have some FUN?!”

For those of us unfazed by the idea that Seattle will draft a premier running back prospect, can’t you allow us to have some fun?

Breece Hall could be the “safest” talent in the draft

A draft analyst can never be too safe with the word “safe” but it is just a point of FACT that running backs who are taken the earliest tend to turn out as quality NFL players more often than their counterparts at other positions. The downside with using the word “safe” in association with a running back is the issue of longevity—the position is far from “safe”—but if we’re only talking about the life of the rookie contract (four years) then it’s hard to go wrong with a back.

Twitter avatar for @DynastyNerds
Dynasty Nerds 🤓 @DynastyNerds
The unquestioned RB1 in the 2022 #NerdScore belongs to Breece Hall 🔥💪 Hall's feel for the game, skill to beat defenders, and ability to play on all three downs make him a can't miss running back. You can find all of our RB NerdScores now on our website for #NerdHerd members!
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2:18 PM ∙ Apr 5, 2022
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Many of the impact running backs were among the first in their classes and those teams had to pay a higher draft price to get them: Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon, Ezekiel Elliott, Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb, Jonathan Taylor, Najee Harris, Javonte Williams, D’Andre Swift, Christian McCaffrey, Leonard Fournette, Josh Jacobs, Dalvin Cook, Joe Mixon were all top-50 picks going back to 2015.

Look no further than the long-delayed breakout season for Rashaad Penny. As much as it hurt to see Penny hurt for three years, the talent that he put on display in 2021 was the reason that the Seahawks drafted him 27th overall.

I believe that if a team has a vision of drafting a running back who could be as lauded as Henry or Taylor, that team absolutely has to make a move early in the draft. It’s possible that Seattle already has their sights set on someone like Dameon Pierce of Florida, and this is all moot, but if the Seahawks have a chance to get the actual RB1 of a class like they could in 2022—is that too good for Pete to pass up?

What makes Hall so good?

Elite Contact Balance

From Dan Schneier at CBS Sports:

Contact balance is king for Hall. Some who evaluate the position believe contact balance is the most important trait, and it's easy to see why they feel that way when you watch Hall's tape -- he's constantly creating after contact and maximizing yardage.

Great Vision and Patience

Watch this play… Just watch this play…

Twitter avatar for @PsychoBo15
Bo @PsychoBo15
Footwork ✅ Burst ✅ Change of Direction ✅
4:52 PM ∙ Mar 30, 2022
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Thank you for reading Seaside Joe. This post is public so feel free to share it.

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Read this whole thread:

Twitter avatar for @Tyler_FF_
Tyler_FF @Tyler_FF_
VISION Breece does a good job of navigating the 2nd level. Clip 2, he lets the line setup in front of him & analyzes for the most optimal running lane. Clip 2 he gets skinny in traffic. Again, Clip 3 he navigates the middle of the field and in the teeth of the defense for a 1st.
1:06 PM ∙ Mar 30, 2022

Breece Hall’s missed/broken tackles

Per Josh Norris, Breece Hall had 74 broken/missed tackles in 2021 and he calls Hall the “Big Play RB” of the 2022 NFL Draft. Penny was credited with 91 broken tackles in 2017, and we know what Lynch, Lacy were both known for, so this is a key attribute.

Norris says of Hall in this video: “He has STARTLING speed.”

Twitter avatar for @JoshNorris
Josh Norris @JoshNorris
74 forced missed tackles 4.39 forty + great open field vision = 22 carries of 15+ yards All in a 218 lbs frame? There's A LOT to love about Breece Hall... especially if he lands with the Bills
youtube.comBreece Hall Highlights - Big Play RB 2022 NFL DraftBreece Hall might be the most complete package in the 2022 NFL Draft among RB prospects. 74 forced missed tackles. 4.39 forty + great open field vision = 22 ...
5:11 PM ∙ Apr 3, 2022
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Breece Hall is an elite athlete

In case you couldn’t tell from the earlier section, the one where Hall is a better athlete than Jonathan Taylor, but Hall posted the 7th-best relative athletic score of any running back since 1987.

Twitter avatar for @MathBomb
Kent Lee Platte @MathBomb
Breece Hall is a RB prospect in the 2022 draft class. He scored a 9.96 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 7 out of 1586 RB from 1987 to 2022. ras.football/ras-informatio… #RAS
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12:00 PM ∙ Apr 4, 2022
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Hall’s RAS compares favorably with Edgerrin James.

Twitter avatar for @SartiranaLuca
Luca Sartirana @SartiranaLuca
Breece Hall has the 7th best RAS score out of 1586 running backs since 1987. My comp for Hall, is Edgerrin James who managed to score a 10.0 RAS in 1999.
Image
Image
3:03 PM ∙ Apr 4, 2022
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Hall is a rare dual threat, three-down modern NFL running back

Another player who comps favorably to Hall and went 44th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft is Matt Forte. Forte rushed for 2,127 yards and 23 touchdowns in his final season at Tulane, then posted at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage for the Bears in each of his first nine NFL campaigns.

Forte was regularly targeted 70+ times and rarely needed to come off the field. It’s hard to find running backs these days who defenses fear as a pass protector or as a pass catcher. Hall had 36 catches for 302 yards last season. Walker, the other best bet to be RB1 this year, had 13 catches for 89 yards.

Twitter avatar for @4WhomJBellTolls
Jeff Bell @4WhomJBellTolls
My guy for the 2022 NFL Draft: Breece Hall! Past my guys: Ja’Marr Chase Jonathan Taylor Deebo Samuel Josh Allen
10:41 PM ∙ Apr 3, 2022
132Likes8Retweets

He’s not a flash in the pan

Twitter avatar for @ScottBarrettDFB
Scott Barrett @ScottBarrettDFB
Since 2000, there have only been 7 Power-5 RBs to eclipse 145.0 YFS per game across multiple seasons: + Jonathan Taylor* + Breece Hall + Adrian Peterson + Christian McCaffrey + Dalvin Cook + Ka'Deem Carey + LaMichael James * the only RB to do this more than twice
6:19 PM ∙ Apr 4, 2022
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Speaking of Flash—did I mention speed?

I’m not worried about Breece Hall’s college workload of 718 carries and 82 catches over the last three seasons. Chris Carson had 243 touches in college… what good did that do him as far as staying healthy at the NFL level?

What I am worried about is Seattle drafting players who have otherworldly traits that you can’t teach and rarely find in the draft without using a top-10 pick. Hall has otherworldly traits and he’s only going to be available in the second round because it’s not 2008 anymore. If Breece Hall entered the NFL in any other decade before the 10’s, he’s a top-15 pick.

Twitter avatar for @Tyler_FF_
Tyler_FF @Tyler_FF_
SPEED Breece has true home run threat, & he displayed that with an impressive 4.39s 40. Clip 1 his burst ruins the def’s angles & outruns defenders upfield from him for a housecall. He gets the edge in Clip 2 & barely gets clipped. Clip 3 he flips the field again for 80 yards.
1:09 PM ∙ Mar 30, 2022

The Seahawks would draft Hall, release Chris Carson (if they didn’t already), and give the 2022 season over to Rashaad Penny. Remember, the Seahawks drafted Michael when Lynch was only 27. Seattle picked C.J. Prosise, Alex Collins, and Zac Brooks in 2016, after a promising (albeit sad ending) season for Thomas Rawls in 2015. Penny when they knew that they had unearthed a seventh round diamond in 2017 with Carson.

I put it at 0-percent that the Seahawks come out of the 2022 NFL Draft without a running back. The only question is: How high? Once you accept that Seattle has no trust in Penny or Carson being around in 2023, I think that could make the running back selection relatively early. Would that upset you? Tell me:

Leave a comment

Hall up, wait a minute—any negatives?

Twitter avatar for @Tyler_FF_
Tyler_FF @Tyler_FF_
Now to the negatives from the tape, no prospect is perfect: - He showed lack of effort at times in 2020 when the play wasn’t going his way. He looked to clean that up in 2021 though. - For his size, he isn’t overly powerful. He shows good contact balance, but doesn’t push…
1:11 PM ∙ Mar 30, 2022

Is Kenneth Walker III a better answer?

I’ll look into that next time.

Twitter avatar for @KyleYNFL
Kyle Yates @KyleYNFL
Why do I have Kenneth Walker at RB1 above Breece Hall? With Walker, there are two traits from his film that I can classify as elite. First is his change of direction ability and the second is his elusiveness/tackle breaking ability. One of those can be seen on this clip…
8:31 PM ∙ Apr 3, 2022
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How would you feel if the Seahawks picked Breece Hall or Kenneth Walker III over other positional needs? Tell me in the comments! Best comment wins a prize.

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You are more than welcome to be excited by the idea of the Seahawks drafting RB Breece Hall

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You are more than welcome to be excited by the idea of the Seahawks drafting RB Breece Hall

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Charlie Gage
Apr 6, 2022Liked by Seaside Joe

I would be very happy if the Seahawks take Breece Hall at #41, assuming the haven't traded out of the first round nor traded away pick #40. The need a great run blocking OL on their first pick since the plan is to run the ball more than air it out. No matter which RB they pick, and the will pick one, they will need someone to open a hole or him.

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Paul Smith
Apr 6, 2022Liked by Seaside Joe

I always expected Pete/John to take an RB with their second round pick. Hall or Walker make sense, but if they trade down, they may go after last years assumed first RB of 22, Spiller. They’re getting someone and I’ll be happy with getting a good RB

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