FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Breece Hall was the 18th-rated player on the New York Jets' draft board. Based on pure talent, he probably should've been rated higher, according to team officials, but the rating accounted for the devaluation of running backs.
So when the second round began and Hall still was available, the Jets were simultaneously stunned and hopeful. They traded a fifth-round pick to the New York Giants to move up two spots, picking him 36th overall. It could turn out to be general manager Joe Douglas' best draft-day trade.
Used as the RB1 in recent weeks, Hall has compiled 488 yards from scrimmage through five games, which is tied for 11th among all players in the NFL. His monster performance in the Jets' 40-17 win over the Dolphins (97 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards) set a franchise record for total yards by a rookie, the most by any Jets player since running back Isaiah Crowell's 231 yards against the Denver Broncos in 2018.
"We appreciate the hell out of him," guard Laken Tomlinson said of Hall. "If he can go like that, we can go a long way in this league."
Hall's ability to go a long way is a big reason why they drafted him. At Iowa State, he scored a touchdown in an FBS-record 24 straight games, including 20 scores last season to go along with 1,472 yards and a 5.8 average. The Jets' scouts viewed him as a home-run threat, a dimension that was lacking last season on offense.
"He had a couple of home runs [Sunday]," coach Robert Saleh said.
Hall's 79-yard reception, the second longest in Jets history for a running back, was like an Aaron Judge-ian blast. He caught a 19-yard pass on a wheel route and hit the accelerator, reaching a top speed of 20.72 mph -- ninth fastest for a running back on a rush or reception this season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. He almost scored but couldn't shake cornerback Kader Kohou, who was hanging for dear life on Hall's left ankle. Hall finally went down at the 1-yard line.
Hall is the third-leading receiver on the team with 17 catches for 213 yards and a touchdown. He's on a 724-yard pace, which would shatter the franchise record for a running back, set in 1993 by Johnny Johnson (641 yards). It's been a long time since they've had a dynamic dual threat in the backfield. You have to go back to Pro Football Hall of Famer Curtis Martin (1998-2005), who once had 508 receiving yards in a season.
"Breece went crazy [on Sunday]," offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker said. "We've seen what he can do in college. So far, he has definitely transferred that to the league. ... It's cool when he gets [the ball] because the whole stadium goes, 'Breeeeece!' That's a cool thing to hear as an O-line."
Hall is a cousin of former San Francisco 49ers great Roger Craig, a three-time Super Bowl champion who in 1985 became the first player in NFL history to produce 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season. In May, Craig told ESPN, "I can see him doing 1,000-1,000 in the pros -- 1,000 yards running and 1,000 yards catching balls. He has the tools and I like his style of play. He runs the ball, he catches out of the backfield, he blocks. He does everything, like me."
The rookie was hesitant at the start of the season, waiting too long to plant and cut upfield. The coaches told him he needed to focus more on north-south running, less on east-west. After the Week 4 win in Pittsburgh, when he rushed for 66 yards and the game-winning touchdown, Hall told offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur in the locker room he was starting to find his groove.
He certainly had it against the Dolphins.
"The coaches just always tell me to do the little things right and my natural ability will take over, and that stems back to college," Hall said.
The Jets have two good backs in Hall and Michael Carter, and they're starting to get some together time. They've been used in tandem for seven plays in each of the past two games, including Hall's 79-yarder and two later touchdowns. They put a lot of stress on the defense because of their versatility.
"It's really cool to be on the field like that in two-back situations," Carter said. "It's not something you see every day. It's not something every team can do. There are probably only a handful of teams that can even do that. It's cool to be so multiple."