New Orleans used a seventh-round pick on TJ Hall, and for IDP managers, the early read is pretty straightforward: the rookie cornerback is more of a name to file away than a player to chase in redraft leagues.
Hall comes out of Iowa with a reputation built on sturdiness, not flash. He worked through early adversity and injuries, then finished his college run with Third-Team All-Big Ten honors.
More importantly for his NFL future, he became one of the country’s best run-defending cornerbacks, leaning on physicality, football IQ, and a willingness to tackle. That profile helped get him to the Saints, where he’ll try to earn a spot in a veteran secondary.
The path to meaningful snaps looks crowded. Quincy Riley and Isaac Yiadom sit ahead of him on the depth chart, with Kool-Aid McKinstry also projected as an outside starter. New Orleans has experience all over the defensive backfield, and that makes it tough for a rookie like Hall to force his way into the rotation unless injuries start opening doors.
Still, there is a reason the Saints took him. Hall doesn’t have the athletic upside of an early-round corner, but he plays with the kind of reliability coaches trust.
He attacks ball carriers, finishes tackles, and does his job. That should get him onto special teams right away, and it gives the staff a player they can feel good about using if he’s called on defensively.
The limitations are real, though. His man-coverage ceiling appears capped, which is part of why the fantasy projection is so modest: 5 total tackles, 0 tackles for loss, 0 sacks, 0 forced fumbles, 0 fumble recoveries, 0 interceptions, 0 pass deflections, and 5 fantasy points in 2026. Those projections were provided by Mase Riney of Fantasy In Frames.
Around him, the Saints’ defense is loaded with recognizable names, including Justin Reid, Julian Blackmon, Pete Werner, Chase Young, and Carl Granderson. That only adds to the challenge of carving out IDP relevance as a rookie.
For redraft purposes, Hall is not a player to roster. Cornerback production in IDP formats is driven almost entirely by playing time, and there just doesn’t appear to be enough of it available here. Unless New Orleans’ secondary gets hit hard by injuries, Hall can stay on the waiver wire.
Long term, though, there’s a better story. His game fits zone concepts, and his steady improvement at Iowa suggests there may be more here than a typical late-round corner. For now, though, the Saints may be the bigger winner than fantasy managers.
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