NY Jets: Initial grade and analysis for the Bryce Hall NFL Draft pick

The NY Jets have made their second-straight value pick of the 2020 NFL Draft with the selection of Virginia cornerback Bryce Hall in the fifth round.

The NY Jets made their fourth pick of Day 3 of the 2020 NFL Draft selecting talented Virginia cornerback Bryce Hall. Just one selection after landing Charlotte offensive lineman Cameron Clark, the Jets may have just landed themselves another steal here with Hall.

Most projected that Hall would be a late-Day-2 pick with the majority of draft outlets having him as a third or even second-round prospect. However, there was one major concern about him — his medicals.

Hall suffered a serious ankle injury in 2019 that limited him to just six games. The injury was significant enough that it requires surgery and he was unable to participate in the NFL Combine.

And given how far he fell, you have to assume that his recent injury history is the reason why. But from a pure talent perspective, Hall is a steal this late in the draft.

The 2018 second-team All-American has excellent length at 6-foot-1, 202 pounds and he has the physical upside of a No. 1 cornerback. He has no issues running downhill and helping out in run support and he has been praised for his high football IQ and character.

This marks yet another player the Jets have drafted who was a team captain with their school in 2019. Clearly, general manager Joe Douglas is targeting high-character prospects.

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Hall also has superb ball skills and he’s very adept in zone coverage. However, he’s far from a perfect prospect.

The 22-year-old has below-average speed and isn’t a very refined man-cover cornerback. And despite his excellent size, Hall struggled when asked to play a press-man role at Virginia.

Ultimately, Hall has been labeled a zone cornerback who will excel in the right system — preferably one that runs a lot of Cover 3 where he could use his length to cover downfield.

That’s not exactly an ideal scheme fit for a Jets team that typically runs more man-to-man coverage. Ideally, Gregg Williams prefers man-coverage corners, but the Jets did run more zone than expected last year — likely due to a lack of talent.

Hall isn’t a perfect scheme fit, but the talent was too much for the Jets to pass up on at this point. The medicals are a concern, but Jets fans will remember another injury-prone cornerback who proved to be a late-round steal last season.

Perhaps Bryce Hall could be paired with Blessuan Austin to form a cornerback duo of the future.

A good value pick here in Round 5 even if there are concerns about his fit and injury history.

Final Grade: B+