Jets RB Hall explains idolizing, mimicking CMC since middle school originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Star New York Jets running back Breece Hall wants to be like 2023 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year and 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey.
Who wouldn’t want 6,185 yards rushing and 4,320 receiving over a seven-year career comprised of three NFL Pro Bowl nods?
Despite facing San Francisco in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season, Hall thoroughly expressed to reporters Tuesday a desire to one day be a McCaffrey-esque player for New York.
“I’ve always watched him since I was in middle school,” New York’s 23-year-old told reporters about McCaffrey (h/t New York Jets). “Everyone knows about the game he had versus Iowa — just him taking an option route to the crib first play, and him doing it (scoring again) in the return game.
“I like to see how he has no wasted movement. And when he’s running the ball or his routes, reading between zone and man, he pretty much does everything right. He plays with minimal mistakes and great attention to detail. … I want to implement that part into my game.”
Hall vividly remembers McCaffrey’s 2016 Rose Bowl performance, in which the Stanford alum had 368 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns en route to the Cardinal’s 45-16 win over the Hawkeyes.
McCaffrey’s ability to quickly get from Point A to Point B then stood out — and still does — to Hall and is something the younger running back wants to implement entering his third NFL season.
But for now, all Hall can do is act like McCaffrey in Jets’ practices — literally.
“The first part, it’s more like releases,” Jets linebacker Quincy Williams told reporters about Hall replicating McCaffrey in practice. “So really just getting off the line — ‘What do you see when you get this move right here? What do you see when you get this one right here?’
“Going against Breece Hall and our running backs has been preparing me for Christian McCaffrey. Just like Breece, [McCaffrey] is out of the backfield, he’s fast, great lateral movements, choice routes and things like that.”
New York’s linebacker core, spearheaded by Williams, has been going against Hall to prepare for San Francisco’s AP All-Pro in the backfield.
Hall has 2,266 combined career rushing and passing yards with 14 scores.
While he hasn’t matched McCaffrey’s production in the run or passing games over two campaigns, earning comparisons to the 49ers’ icon is a great start.
Hall is primed for a huge third year with the Jets and the return of quarterback Aaron Rodgers should be a key aid.
But surely, Hall — like he would in middle school — will be watching McCaffrey’s every move Monday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
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