BYU quarterback Jaren Hall checks a lot of boxes for the Vikings

New Vikings quarterback Jaren Hall, the Brigham Young passer drafted during Saturday's fifth round with the 164th pick, has a "knack for making his teammates right," said Vikings director of college scouting Mike Sholiton.

Part of why the Vikings made Hall the 12th quarterback selected in this year's NFL draft — and the first passer drafted under head coach Kevin O'Connell — is he knows the power he holds on the field at any given moment. The Vikings liked how much he focused on his control and ability to lift the team.

During a predraft meeting this spring, Vikings coaches and scouts set up a replay for Hall from a play in which they knew a BYU receiver "ran the wrong route" for him, Sholiton said.

"We were trying to give him a chance to say that this player was wrong," Sholiton said, "and all he was willing to say was, 'I got to make it right.'"

Hall's accountability and problem solving stood out to Sholiton and other Vikings evaluators who decided to add him to a depth chart with veterans Kirk Cousins and Nick Mullens. Sholiton said Vikings brass liked Hall's efficiency — 51 touchdowns to 11 interceptions in two years as a starter — and his mobility, which produced 657 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in that span.

Hall, one of the draft's oldest players who turned 25 in March, had his college playing career delayed by a two-year Mormon mission in California before redshirting in 2018. He juggled baseball and football for the Cougars in 2019 before eventually focusing on football, earning the starting job the last two seasons.

"I definitely paid the price for it a little bit," Hall said. "I didn't win the starting job for a couple years. ... Just two years playing football, I got a lot I can learn, and I think there's a lot of potential in my career."

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said Hall checks many of the boxes he seeks in a quarterback.

"Tremendous upside," Adofo-Mensah said. "The ability to make good decisions, throw the football accurately, deal with conflict when it comes his way and sometimes make a play outside the framework of the play call."

Hall said he "had a great feeling" upon leaving his sitdown interview with the Vikings in Indianapolis at the combine, which was his first formal interview with an NFL team.

"That's mostly a scheduling thing," Sholiton said, "but maybe a little bit of karma for us."

Ward, the Vikings' first selection during Saturday's final rounds, was announced as a defensive back during the pick after lining up at safety, corner and slot corner at LSU. Where he plays for the Vikings remains to be seen. Ward said he expects to play either as a "slot-safety" or "slot-corner," which is versatility coveted by first-year defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

Adofo-Mensah said Vikings evaluators had differing opinions on where Ward fit best.

"People wrote [his best position] as three different positions," Adofo-Mensah said, "and they all thought he had starter potential. I kind of stepped back and thought well, if this guy can be a starter at three different positions, it's pretty likely he figures out one of them."

Here's a look at what happened to the Vikings' original picks in the second, fourth, sixth and seventh rounds. On Friday, the Lions flipped Minnesota's original second-round choice (55th) — dealt last year for tight end T.J. Hockenson — for a few picks and, eventually, Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker.

On Saturday, the Browns used the Vikings' original fourth-round pick (126th) on Missouri defensive end Isaiah McGuire. Minnesota sent the pick to Cleveland last year to trade up for fourth-round cornerback Akayleb Evans.

The Texans drafted Notre Dame center Jarrett Patterson with the sixth-round choice (201st), sent by Minnesota to Houston for defensive tackle Ross Blacklock. The Steelers took Purdue cornerback Cory Trice with pick No. 241 in the seventh round, sent by Minnesota to Denver in 2021 for defensive end Stephen Weatherly.

After drafting seven players, the Vikings agreed to sign another 15 undrafted free agents on Saturday evening, including three cornerbacks, three inside linebackers and three receivers.

Minnesota agreed to terms with Georgia Southern cornerback NaJee Thompson, Indiana cornerback Jaylin Williams and Oklahoma cornerback C.J. Coldon, N.C. State receiver Thayer Thomas, Southeastern Louisiana receiver Cephus Johnson, Kansas St. receiver Malik Knowles, Illinois defensive tackle Calvin Avery, Cincinnati linebackers Wilson Huber and Ivan Pace Jr., Marshall linebacker Abraham Beauplan, TCU offensive lineman Alan Ali, Pace offensive lineman Jacky Chen, Army outside linebacker Andre Carter II, Georgia kicker Jack Podlesny and Baylor tight end Ben Sims.