Chicago Bears Rookie Film Review: Emanuel Hall

[soulman]

Chicago Bears Rookie Film Review: Emanuel Hall

ByUsayd Koshul 9 hours ago

 

https://247sports.com/nfl/chicago-bears/Article/Chicago-Bears-Rookie-Film-Review-Emanuel-Hall--132018057/?utm_source=247Sports Newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=190520_170458_Chicago Bears&utm_content=Link&liveconnect=C3-52-7D-DF-F0-AF-8E-1A-53-7F-74-41-9D-F1-31-5F190520_170458ChicagoBears

(Photo: Jeff Curry)

 

As soon as the 2019 NFL Draft ended, the Chicago Bears were active on the undrafted free agent market, signing as many players as they could. The main reason? The Bears only had five draft picks in 2019, so signing a plethora of undrafted free agents was critical to round out the 90-man roster.

While the Bears brought in many prospects who could turn out to be solid players, one of the more notable signings was Missouri's, Emanuel Hall. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound target was an essential part of the Tigers offense for the last four years. After posting 2016 yards over a four year period, averaging 20.8 yards per catch, Hall proved that due to his speed he'd fit in nicely with the Bears offense.

Despite being loaded at the wide receiver position, the Bears opted to bring Hall in due to the fact that they saw something special in him. While speed is just one of his traits, what are some other reasons that the Bears opted sign Hall? We'll take a look at his film and breakdown why the Bears decided to sign him.

 

 

 

Vs. Florida (2018)

- 0:01: Although this was an incomplete pass, what's very clear here is that Hall's speed is on full display. As soon as he reaches the 30-yard line, Hall has clearly turned on the jets. Had this pass not been overthrown, it's likely that it would have been a big completion.

- 0:42: Hall is at the top of your screen here running an out route. Notice how he plants his foot in the ground and has just enough room to make the catch. What's also worth noting is that Hall tiptoes to keep himself inbounds to ensure that this play ends up being a completed catch.

- 1:06: This play really can go two different ways. On one hand, you could say that it was the quarterback's fault for not throwing the ball a half a second early to ensure that Hall would be able to catch it. However, on the other hand, you could blame Hall for not putting his 110-percent effort into what was a clear 50-50 ball.

- 2:12: Hall is seen running a go route here. He uses his speed to blow by the defender before using his arms to create some space in order to haul the catch in.

- 2:31: Although this is a running play and Hall doesn't get a chance to touch the football, what's noticeable is his lack of effort when it comes to blocking the defender. If he wants a spot on the Bears 53-man roster, he'll need to improve his run blocking.

- 3:57: This is probably Hall's best play of the game right here. He's lined up on the left side of the offensive formation and is asked to run a quick slant route to the inside which will result in a touchdown. First, he tries to confuse the defender by making it look like he's running towards the back of the endzone before he quickly switches direction and runs to the middle of the field. This play ends up being a touchdown because Florida's defense has six guys lined up on the line of scrimmage which leaves Hall in a one-on-one situation with the cornerback. As a result, the middle of the field is wide open for Hall to operate and catch a touchdown.

-4:20: Hall is lined up on the bottom of your screen here and is running a post route towards the middle of the field. He makes it look like he's going outside before switching direction and going back inside. Notice how multiple Florida defenders get fooled by the run-pass option and automatically drop back into coverage when they see the quarterback getting ready to throw the ball. As a result of this run-pass option which the defense thinks is a run, Hall is able to catch the pass and move the chains despite the pass being thrown slightly behind him.

 

Vs. Wyoming (2018)

- 0:01: Hall is seen running a go route here. There are a few things that are worth noting about Hall on this play. First, he's beaten the defensive back solely with speed. Second, the defensive back does make a play on the ball, however, Hall stays composed to the point where he catches the ball. The third thing worth noting is Hall's footwork when there is a limited amount of space available. Notice how he tip-toes once he has the ball in his hands to ensure that he stays in bounds and can score.

- 0:33: The purpose of this play is to get the ball out of the quarterback's hands and into the hands of a wide receiver who can make plays. It's a 2nd-and-9, so the offense wants to gain a few extra yards to try to make third down a bit easier. Hall is at the top of the screen and for a split second, tries to act like he's going to run down the sideline before running cutting back inside and running towards the middle of the field. When he's getting ready to catch the ball, notice how there is about 12 yards of free space between him and the safety, who's going to make the tackle at the 31-yard line.

- 0:51: Hall doesn't touch the ball on this play however his lack of effort in terms of blocking is noticeable. What's apparent is that he's put himself at a disadvantage as the cornerback can easily get around him. Because he doesn't go straight at the defender, Hall ends up wrapping his arm around the cornerback's face to compensate for not squaring up and blocking the defender at the beginning of the play.

- 1:00: Hall's change of direction skills are on full display here. He acts as if he's running a vertical route down the sideline before running back towards the quarterback and catching the pass. He then turns on the jets and turns upfield, jukes out the defender, and picks up a big gain.

- 1:21: Hall loses his footing here to begin this play, however once he regains it he takes advantage of the defender having his back turned to him and is looking directly at the quarterback ready to receive the pass before making a nice play to pick up about 12 yards

- 1:34: Running down the sideline on this play, it's impressive how Hall turns his body around in order to haul in a pass that is thrown behind him. His body control on this play is impressive as is his start-stop ability.

- 2:02: This is a quick go route that Hall is running. A major thing to note on this play is that while the ball is thrown behind him, Hall still turns his body completely to make the catch. Additionally, looking at the situation that the Missouri offense is in, this is a perfect example of how Hall's speed can bail out an offense.

- 2:13: This is a simple screen play where Hall is asked to run back towards the line of scrimmage, catch the football, and then turn upfield. This is an excellent play of how he showcases his ability to be a threat with the ball in his hands. In the NFL, he could see multiple plays in a game where he's lined up in the slot or on the outside and is asked to run multiple routes such as this one.

- 2:53: One thing to love on this play is the amount of effort that Hall put in. He's running down the sideline and after making the catch, has two defenders around him. However, even then, he's trying to do his best to turn upfield and make something special happen. This competitiveness spirit is one which fits right into the culture that Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace have built at Halas Hall.

- 3:02: Hall is seen running a curl route here. Essentially, this means that he is going to run upfield for about ten yards and then turn around and see that the ball is already on its way towards him. After he makes the catch, he tries to gain some additional yards however, there are two defenders waiting to bring him down. This is one example of how Hall can be used in the short passing game in Nagy's offense can operate from either the slot or play on the outside.

 

Vs. Georgia (2017)

- 0:10: Although this was an incomplete pass due to the quarterback overthrowing it, what is impressive on this play is how quickly Hall blows past the Georgia defense. You can see that he's at least one or two yards ahead of the defensive backs and extends his arms to try and make the catch.

- 0:28: This is probably one of best plays in Hall's college career. He blows past the Georgia defense and when near the goal line needs to slow down just a bit before catching a ball which is placed perfectly. From the time the ball is snapped, the quarterback is looking in Hall's direction and just waiting for the defense to slip up before throwing the ball. A major reason that Hall is able to get so wide open is because the safety (#20) decides to cover the slot receiver (#17) in the middle of the field rather than cover Hall.

- 1:18: Hall simply uses his speed here to beat the defender and score the touchdown. He does a good job of tracking the ball and keeping his footing in order to make the catch.

- 2:07: Running a quick curl route here, Hall catches the ball but his ball security is a major concern here. He tries to shake off the defender to extend the play however the defender is able to rip the ball away. At the NFL level, cornerbacks will take advantage of this and try to wrestle the ball away from him on every play.

- 2:25: This is a short route that Hall is running here with the objective that he can create some yards after the catch. He does exactly that but the defender (#24) is right in his face to ensure that he doesn't burn the defense again for a big play.

 

Conclusion

There are a few things to note after watching three of Hall's games. First, he's got speed which means that in the NFL, he should be a deep threat a lot in this Bears offense. Second, Hall has the ability to play on the outside or in the slot. If he's able to make the 53-man roster in 2019, Hall should see limited action from the slot considering the Bears have Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller lined up on the outside. Third, Hall has a fairly limited route tree. He's either running go routes or is running down the seam from the slot.

If the Bears plan to use him in the slot, then Hall needs to learn how to run crossing, drag, and slant routes to complete his route tree.

Overall, Hall is clearly growing as a player. He won't ever be a true number one wide receiver for any NFL team, but he does offer the capacity to be someone that can be relied on to make a few catches a game. If he doesn't make the Bears 53-man roster in 2019, then the team would be wise to place him on the practice squad as he's likely a year away from showing us what he can really be.

 

[soulman]

Submitted without comment.  I'll let you all do that.

[WindyCity]

The offense needs some speed.

If he can run routes and shows consistent effort he could easily make the team as a backup and deep route specialist.

The issue is numbers. I think Wims is an ideal backup for Robinson. I think Ridley should backup Miller in the slot where his route running is a plus and his lack of speed is not as big and issue. Hall could slip into the spot behind Gabriel, but they have to keep Patterson somewhere?