With the 219th pick in the draft, the Saints select, TJ Hall, DB Iowa

Nice pick. Only reason he fell this far is probably his speed, he ran a 4.59 40.

Im very happy with this draft

Overview of TJ Hall from The Athletic:

6-1-190.

Ran a 4.59 40 at the Combine

A spirited, physical corner with only average long speed; best fit may be in Cover 2 or 3.

Drafted No. 219 by the Saints

Overview
Hometown: Fresno, CA
Birthday: April 26, 2004
Age: 22

Year: Fourth-year senior
A starter for one-and-a-half years at Iowa, Hall was a boundary cornerback in defensive coordinator Phil Parker’s zone-based scheme. Injuries disrupted his development early in his Hawkeyes career, but he took a substantial jump in his effectiveness and performance as a senior in 2025. He finished with a team-best 11 passes defended and allowed a completion rate of just 47.6 percent when targeted.

A spirited, physical corner, Hall stays low and patient, with the coverage athleticism to match routes using balanced transitions. He lacks the make-up burst to recover after receivers gain a step vertically and appears more comfortable playing receivers than turning to make plays on the ball. NFL coaches will love how important run support is to him.

Dane’s takeaway
Hall has only average long speed, and his lack of anticipation leaves interceptions on the field, but his competitiveness will translate well in both coverage and run defense. His best pro fit might be in Cover 2/3 looks.

Strengths
Good height, with adequate muscle development
Quick-footed athlete and has fluid movement patterns from press
Physical early and late to displace receivers from route paths
Showed improved timing as a senior to disrupt catch windows from trail position
Rakes at the football from challenging angles
Did a better job as a senior of maintaining physicality without drawing flags
Gets nosy in the run game and has outstanding toughness
Knows how to set an edge — sacrifices his body to blow up the play
Likes to be coached hard; emotionally resilient

Weaknesses
Will lose foot races on vertical patterns once stacked
Doesn’t consistently trust his technique and will concede separation
Struggles to turn and put himself in finishing positions downfield
Average route anticipation from zone, which delays his drive burst
Needs to be more detailed with his tackling technique to compensate for average finishing strength
Missed second half of sophomore season because of foot injury (October 2023); missed two games of senior year because of shoulder injury (November 2025) but returned for the bowl game — and played hurt

I like the picks. They knew weakness on roster. They improve on some of those.

Good Nickel pick.

If he ran faster he would have been picked a few rounds higher.

quote:

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Slowest time of any DB at the combine

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Or perhaps the most...contemplative of the group.