Film Notes on Dallas Cowboys Pre-Draft Visitor Wide Receiver Emanuel Hall

The 2019 NFL Draft is the next step in the Dallas Cowboys roster building and they are getting ready to have a bunch of players in their building over the next month. Between pre-draft visits, the Dallas Days, and the National 30 visits, the Cowboys front office and coaching staff will be busy getting to know players and putting them through workouts to get a better feel for who they are and what they can do.

As the list of pre-draft visitors continues to take shape, more and more players will be confirmed for the Dallas Cowboys. The most recent addition is Missouri Wide Receiver Emanuel Hall.

I’ve had people argue with me that the Dallas Cowboys don’t need to draft a wide receiver, and I get where they are coming from. If you look at the wide receivers on the roster, it looks pretty well set for 2019. However, when you consider that Amari Cooper still hasn’t received his contract extension and along with Randall Cobb, Allen Hurns, and Tavon Austin, is only signed through this season, you see some glaring holes on the 2020 depth chart at the position.

It’s long been held that it takes two to three seasons for wide receivers to find their stride in the NFL, therefore if you’re anticipating having a need at wide receiver in the 2020 offseason, might as well plan and get those guys in your system now.

In this space we’ve already looked at Oklahoma Wide Receiver Marquise Brown and Iowa State Wide Receiver Hakeem Butler, and today I want to bring you another wide out from a Midwestern university, Missouri Wide Receiver Emanuel Hall.

Hall is slated to be one of the Dallas Cowboys’ 30 national pre-draft visitors at The Star in April, so I thought it would be a good idea to bring him to your attention.

For this review, I took a look at his tape from his games against Oklahoma State, Georgia (2017), Florida (2017), and Florida (2018).

In three games against the top of the SEC East, Georgia and Florida, Emanuel Hall posted a combined 13 receptions for 330 yards (25.4 yards per reception), and three touchdowns (two against Georgia in 2017).

Hall isn’t always quick off of the snap, but is able to quickly beat press coverage with good foot work and quickness after the snap. In press coverage, rarely allows himself to get jammed.

Has speed to threaten defense downfield. Is able to get by the cornerback quickly on go routes. Required a lot of safety attention on the perimeter.

Ran the go, out, short curl, slant, and post routes. Pretty good route runner that was able to create separation. Needs to be more precise on his out route. His best routes were the go and the slant route.

Good adjustments to the ball when in the air. Turns body and uses hands to come back to the ball when thrown behind him in the route.

Effective in short area on slants as well as down the field on go and post routes.

Hall shows good body control on balls that are underthrown or thrown behind him. Uses his hands to make catches and rarely lets the ball into his body.

Uses good body positioning to shield the defender away from the ball. Is able to make the basket catch down the field. Good sideline awareness.

Played on both sides of the offense and was able to run routes in every direction. Was seldom used in the slot or put in motion.

Not a very willing blocker. Needs to be more engaged in the running game. Adding a bit more bulk should help in his effectiveness.

Never played a full season while at Missouri due to injury.

How He Fits with the Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys have an interesting mix of wide receivers on the squad and they have a lot of experience. They don’t, however, have a player that is a natural and pure deep threat like Emanuel Hall is. He can line up on both sides of the formation and even run some deep routes from the slot. Hall’s athleticism and speed would be excellent downfield assets, which would open up a ton of space in the short and intermediate parts of the field for Cooper, Gallup, and the tight end groups. Though he won’t get the respect out of the gate that Amari Cooper and Ezekiel Elliott receive from opposing defenses, he’s a player that you have to account for, because he can beat you deep in an instant.

He’d be best served as a Y or X receiver, coming in when the Dallas Cowboys go into three or more wide receiver formations, which they ran more than 70% of the time in 2018. Hall on the outside could allow the Cowboys to use Amari Cooper in the slot while keeping Michael Gallup on the outside.

Summary

The Dallas Cowboys need to look to continue building their wide receiver group of the future and that starts with this deep draft class. Emanuel Hall is a really good player, but in a deep wide receiver class won’t be drafted until the third or fourth round because of his injury history. Teams may not see him as much more than a deep threat, but he’s a really good deep threat. For someone who has the speed and athleticism that Hall possesses, he’d be a great value if the Cowboys are able to land him with one of their fourth round picks.