Bears UDFA breakdown: Offensive guard Jeremi Hall

Kurt Warner. James Harrison. Dick “Night Train” Lane. Antonio Gates.

Over the years, there have been several undrafted free agents who have left indelible marks on the game of football. Despite not being seen as worthy enough of an NFL Draft selection, these players have overcome the odds and have gone on to become successful NFL players.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to take a look at of 10 of the undrafted free agents that the Chicago Bears signed this offseason to try and determine who stands the best chance of making it to the 53-man roster. In this edition, we’ll look at the ninth player on the list: offensive guard Jeremi Hall.

Background

Hall is a product of the University of South Florida, where he started two seasons as the team’s left guard. He was voted to the All-AAC First Team last season after helping USF’s offense rank sixth in the nation in total offense with 513 yards per game. He was listed at six-foot-five and 340 pounds on his USF profile, but he weighed in at 307 pounds at his Pro Day.

The economics major attended Tri-Cities High School in East Point, Georgia. He was a three-year starter on the offensive line in high school and was a First Team All-State player in his junior year.

Skillset

There are no particular cut ups for Hall, but you can watch him play at left guard in any of the Quinton Flowers cut ups online.

Hall is a powerful blocker, which makes sense, considering the fact that he played in college at approximately 340 pounds. He packs a mean punch and has good upper-body strength. He plays with a nasty edge, taking no prisoners and driving defenders into the dirt. He can pick up double-team blocks, has good situational awareness and takes good angles as a pull blocker, as well.

Hall is far from a perfect prospect, though. The most notable flaw in his game is a lack of pro-level athleticism. He doesn’t possess great lateral quickness, and his hips are stiff when he blocks. He blocks much better in tight spaces than he does in space. His Pro Day - at which he weighed in at 307 pounds - saw him put up subpar testing numbers: he would have finished outside of the top 15 among offensive linemen in every single testing category at the Combine. To steal a term from Mike Mayock, Hall blocks best in a phone booth. The balance in his frame tends to be inconsistent, as he can lean forward too much on some plays and be too high on others.

Chances of making the 53-man roster

Admittedly, Hall faces an uphill battle to make the Bears’ 53-man roster. With the likes of Bradley Sowell, Jordan Morgan and Earl Watford also fights to make it onto the team, his chances of making it are very slim. He has some upside as a mauling guard in a power run scheme, but he doesn’t seem to be a very good fit in Chicago’s offense.