The Jets have signed fifth-round cornerback Bryce Hall, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). In accordance with his slot, Hall will receive a four-year deal worth about $3.6MM with a $315K signing bonus.
Hall notched five interceptions and 38 passes defended over the course of his four-year career. Unfortunately, he didn’t get a chance to really build on those totals in his final year on campus. In October, Hall suffered a serious ankle injury and had to be carted off of the field. Before that, Pro Football Focus rated Hall as the nation’s top cornerback in the 2018 season. Had he declared for the draft one year early, Hall would have gone much earlier – the Jets see him as a potential Day 3 steal.
Hall is the first member of the Jets’ draft class to agree to terms. With the Virginia product in the fold, they’ve got eight more rookies to go, as shown in PFR’s 2020 NFL Draft tracker:
1-11: Mekhi Becton, T (Louisville)
2-59: Denzel Mims, WR (Baylor)
3-68: Ashtyn Davis, S (California)
3-79: Jabari Zuniga, DE (Florida)
4-120: Lamical Perine, RB (Florida)
4-125: James Morgan, QB (Florida International)
4-129: Cameron Clark, OT (Charlotte)
5-158: Bryce Hall, CB (Virginia): Signed
6-191: Braden Mann, P (Texas A&M)
Not a huge fan of Becton over Wirfs, but I love this draft class otherwise. Mims, while raw, was a steal late in the second round and could immediately contribute in a mediocre receiving corps. Davis and Hall should supplement the secondary, while Zuniga will aid a weak pass-rush.
If Darnold takes a step forward, I could see the Jets at least contending for a wild card spot. Remember, they went 7-5 to close out 2019 and the offensive line has improved exponentially