Ward said he expects to play either as a 'slot-safety' or 'slot-corner,' which is versatility coveted by first-year defensive coordinator Brian Flores.Īdofo-Mensah said Vikings evaluators had differing opinions on where Ward fit best. Where he plays for the Vikings remains to be seen. Ward, the Vikings' first selection during Saturday's final rounds, was announced as a defensive back during the pick after lining up at safety, corner and slot corner at LSU. 'That's mostly a scheduling thing,' Sholiton said, 'but maybe a little bit of karma for us.' 'Figures out one of them' Hall said he 'had a great feeling' upon leaving his sitdown interview with the Vikings in Indianapolis at the combine, which was his first formal interview with an NFL team. 'The ability to make good decisions, throw the football accurately, deal with conflict when it comes his way and sometimes make a play outside the framework of the play call.' General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said Hall checks many of the boxes he seeks in a quarterback.

Just two years playing football, I got a lot I can learn, and I think there's a lot of potential in my career.' 'I didn't win the starting job for a couple years. 'I definitely paid the price for it a little bit,' Hall said. He juggled baseball and football for the Cougars in 2019 before eventually focusing on football, earning the starting job the last two seasons. Hall, one of the draft's oldest players who turned 25 in March, had his college playing career delayed by a two-year Mormon mission in California before redshirting in 2018. Sholiton said Vikings brass liked Hall's efficiency - 51 touchdowns to 11 interceptions in two years as a starter - and his mobility, which produced 657 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in that span. Hall's accountability and problem solving stood out to Sholiton and other Vikings evaluators who decided to add him to a depth chart with veterans Kirk Cousins and Nick Mullens. 'We were trying to give him a chance to say that this player was wrong,' Sholiton said, 'and all he was willing to say was, 'I got to make it right.''

The Vikings liked how much he focused on his control and ability to lift the team.ĭuring a predraft meeting this spring, Vikings coaches and scouts set up a replay for Hall from a play in which they knew a BYU receiver 'ran the wrong route' for him, Sholiton said. Part of why the Vikings made Hall the 12th quarterback selected in this year's NFL draft - and the first passer drafted under head coach Kevin O'Connell - is he knows the power he holds on the field at any given moment. New Vikings quarterback Jaren Hall, the Brigham Young passer drafted during Saturday's fifth round with the 164th pick, has a 'knack for making his teammates right,' said Vikings director of college scouting Mike Sholiton.

The House of Wolves by James Patterson