Eagan, Minnesota – They set a trap.
Sitting inside a quiet room in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine, the Vikings staff wanted to see how quarterback Jaren Hall would respond.
Does he squirm? Will he shake his head? More importantly, will he throw his teammate under the bus?
The snare arrived in the form of a carefully selected play. In it, one of Brigham Young’s Hull receivers had gone down the wrong path. Hall notices the play, which ends badly. The Vikings staff asked Hall what had happened, knowing that the outcome of the play was not Hall’s fault.
“We were trying to give him a chance to say, ‘This player was wrong,'” Mike Cholliton, Minnesota Director of ScoutingHe said.
Hall refused. Viking officials kept pressuring him. Hall continued to deny any wrongdoing on the part of the receiver. He asserted that the deficiency was his responsibility.
“I have to make it right,” Hall said.
This was one of the many moments that helped convince the Vikings to draft Hall in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft (164th overall).
There were many others. Sholiton attended Hall’s pro day and was amazed at how engaged Hall’s teammates were throughout the quarterback show. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adovo-Mensah listened to Hall’s weekly postgame comments on YouTube. He even traveled to see Hall in person during the 2022 season.
“I’m still a little surprised that I was able to (pick it up) where I was,” Adofo-Mensah said on Saturday.
Hall joins one of the most experienced quarterback rooms in the NFL. Kirk Cousins is the team’s starter. Nick Mullins, who has been in the NFL for five seasons and has started 17 games, is the alternate. The tap-hole decision will allow coach Kevin O’Connell’s offensive system to be worked out at his own pace.
At the same time, the Minnesota front office will get a chance to monitor Hall’s progress because he considers the team’s most important long-term question: What’s the plan at quarterback after Cousins, who turns 35 in August?
Cousins’ contract could be voided after the 2023 season, and he and the Vikings have yet to reach a settlement over an extension. Both parties got on the topic, but as Adofo-Mensah made clear in the combine, Cousins want security, while the Vikings want flexibility. Cousins’ contract therefore remained unchanged, other than a restructuring which added void years.
Neither side expressed any negative feelings about the discussions.
“When you enter into contract negotiations, you try to come up with solutions together,” Adofo-Mensah said Saturday. It’s not just what I want or what the Vikings want or even what Kirk wants. It’s, ‘What can we do together (to) finally put this Lombardy trophy together?’ Sometimes you come to a place where it’s like, ‘Let’s talk later. This is the solution now. That’s all that happened.”
The Vikings, meanwhile, have always been doing their due diligence in the 2023 draft class because O’Connell rates himself highly for quarterbacks every year. For years, he would recognize players should he cross them later. In addition, he has educated himself on characteristics that he has either undervalued or overvalued.
Choliton is grateful for the synergy between the coach and the scouting staff.
“I feel like every meeting with Coach O’Connell is a master class for all scouts when he talks about playing quarterback,” said Choliton. “The way he breaks the QB play, the way he splits the pre-snap and the level of sophistication and efficiency you need to play that position – I learn every day… how important that position is.”
Even Adofo-Mensah can list some of O’Connell’s most sought-after quarterback characteristics: accuracy, decision making, navigating conflict after snap, and extending plays when necessary.
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Not surprisingly, many of these characteristics appeared on the tape of several quarterbacks in the 2023 draft, including several who were expected to be selected early. The Vikings were picking the 23rd, and as it turned out, neither Will Levis nor Hendon Hooker fit the law.
However, the Vikings were intrigued by Hall throughout the evaluation process. The 25-year-old, who also played baseball at BYU, wasn’t impressed in the interview room. His tape also hinted at the subtleties, especially from the perspective of avoiding staff turnover. He seems to have a knack for problem-solving. Minnesota psychological tests also indicated high efficiency.
As it turns out, Hall admired the Vikings as much as they admired him.
“I walked away from that interview (in Indianapolis) kind of blown away with the Vikings organization, the coaching staff,” said Hall. “All I felt was in that room. Everyone present.”
The Vikings didn’t ask him to work for them, nor did they invite a visit from their top 30. However, the coaches kept in touch with him as draft approached. He remained on the board until the fifth round – until Adovo Mensah called his phone. After some initial greetings, Adofo-Mensah handed the phone over to O’Connell whose message was as follows: Your truest potential? We will find him.
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There will be a learning curve. At BYU, especially this past season, the offense has run at breakneck speed. Play calls will be more complex in the NFL, as will Hall’s responsibilities before and after the snap. But the Vikings believed in his ability to adapt.
“The most important thing we need to make sure we do is not punish players for not doing things they weren’t asked to do,” said Choliton. (Hall) mentioned that he wasn’t asked to do a lot of line checks and make calls. The humility of knowing he didn’t know is just as important. We’ve had players in the past who lie during the pre-draft process — fake it until you make it. With our staff, they have radar. So. He never tried to pull it off. The fact that he was real and honest led us to believe.”
Only more reps, lessons learned, and Hall’s willingness to adapt will answer the question of his long-term potential.
Until then, the broader conversation about the team’s future in the quarterback will remain front and center. And that conversation will have major ramifications, including, perhaps, whether or not the team can sign Justin Jefferson and other top players to long-term deals.
“There are a lot of different avenues in terms of addressing this situation, and I wouldn’t necessarily limit us to one,” Adofo-Mensah said several weeks ago. Up until this point, he kept the team options open. The Vikings and Cousins have a good relationship. Has a backup capable. The development option offers a different data point. And going forward, the Vikings still have a good amount of upscale beta capital in 2024.
“We love where we are at quarterback, but every option is open to us moving forward,” said Adofo-Mensah. “And we’re really excited about Kirk this year.”
The team is also excited about the additional offensive weapons. Jordan Addison’s first-round selection will help the team’s air offense. Signing free agent Josh Oliver will help the running game. Both additions should help as the Cousins prepare to put together another productive season.
If it does happen, what is the cost of keeping cousins? And if the Vikings make it on the field and fail to keep it, will they be able to prepare a draft package to move up to add a franchise changer like Caleb Williams or Drake Maye?
These are the questions Adofo-Mensah and its partners need to consider. Because flexibility in this sport rarely lasts forever.
(Photo: Chris Gardner/Getty Images)