Jalen Hale WR SMU |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #8 ROLE: Outside X-Receiver | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 08/03/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2027 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.48 seconds (59%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 21.11 DOB: 09/07/2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #8 | |
| ROLE: Outside X-Receiver | |
| Last Updated: 08/03/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2027 | |
| Forty time: 4.48 seconds (59%*) | |
| Age: 21.11 DOB: 09/07/2004 | |
| Overall Rating: |
69.4 / 100
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|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
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78% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 103.7 | |
| Hands: |
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50% |
| Short Receiving: |
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00% |
| Intermediate Routes: |
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59% |
| Deep Threat: |
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68% |
| Blocking: |
|
63% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
UDFA
Overall Rank:
#586
Position rank:
#45 (WR)
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| College Games: 16 College Snaps: 204 | ||
ESPN RATING: 86/100
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247 RATING: 97/100
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RIVALS RATING: 6.0 (98%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dominick Blaylock - Georgia Tech |
|
62% |
| Moose Muhammad III - Texas A&M |
|
57% |
| Ty Fryfogle - Indiana |
|
49% |
Draft Profile: Bio
One of the top 40 overall recruits in the 2023 cycle according to On3, Hale signed with Alabama out of Longview High School in Texas, carrying four-star grades from 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals. As a true freshman in 2023 he played 13 games and caught five passes for 148 yards and a touchdown, averaging nearly 30 yards per reception.Hale's career was interrupted in the spring of 2024, when he suffered a significant knee injury in practice; he missed the entire 2024 season and took a medical redshirt. He returned to the field in 2025 but appeared in only four games for the Crimson Tide, drawing a single target in the opener against Florida State and finishing the year without a reception while also seeing snaps against Wisconsin and Eastern Illinois.
In January 2026 Hale entered the transfer portal, becoming one of several Alabama departures, and committed to SMU, where he will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Former top-40 recruit with a big-play flash as a freshman
- Averaged nearly 30 yards per catch on limited freshman touches
- Good size and length for the boundary at 6-foot-1
- Untapped physical tools that once drew heavy recruiting
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- A major knee injury cost him the entire 2024 season
- Failed to record a reception across four games in 2025
- Buried on Alabama's depth chart throughout his career
- Essentially no meaningful college production left to evaluate
- Long road back from injury with a thin track record
Scouting Report: Summary
Jalen Hale is a pedigree-and-medical flyer whose career has been stalled by injury and depth-chart traffic. A former top-40 recruit, he flashed as an Alabama freshman, averaging nearly 30 yards per catch on limited touches, and the size and length that made him a coveted recruit are still there. That freshman glimpse is most of the tape worth watching.The road since has been rough. A significant knee injury cost him all of 2024, he returned to catch no passes across four games in 2025, and he spent his career buried on a loaded Alabama depth chart. There is essentially no recent production to evaluate, so the projection leans entirely on old flashes and physical tools.
He fits a vertical offense willing to develop him, and a move to SMU offers a clean slate with eligibility remaining. Overall, the pedigree and the freshman flash keep a sliver of interest alive, but Hale projects as a developmental flyer whose draft case depends on health, a fresh start, and finally translating recruiting hype into college production that has not yet materialized. The medical checks will carry heavy weight, and a team that clears the knee is betting on a former blue-chipper at a steep discount, the sort of low-risk swing the back of the draft and the free-agent market are built for.
How other scouting services rate Jalen Hale (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
543.0
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
44.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.