Jets' Breece Hall looks forward to matchup with 49ers' Christian McCaffrey

Breece Hall went through some tough times after tearing his ACL as a rookie in 2022. He had moments when he questioned if his explosiveness would ever come back.

Hall put those concerns to rest last year when he finished fourth in the NFL in scrimmage yards (1,585) despite being on a snap count for the first four games. Hall feels like he is all the way back now and could have an even bigger year. He has no doubt he can meet his personal goals of being an All-Pro and Pro Bowl back.

“I look back at it now and just feel like there's nothing I can't do,” Hall said. “I had a lot of long days, a lot of long nights, a lot of wondering if I was going to be the same again and just little stuff like that. And God willing, I was able to work hard enough, and it just took some time.

“I feel like I'm better than ever right now.”

Hall’s primary goal is to help the Jets end the franchise’s 13-year playoff drought. They have a good chance if Hall continues to be the East Coast version of San Francisco's Christian McCaffrey.

The Jets open their season Monday night against the 49ers. It’s Aaron Rodgers’ return from a torn Achilles tendon he suffered four snaps into last season. It’s also features a marquee matchup at running back.

“They’re similar but different,” coach Robert Saleh said. “They’re both three-down football players that are elite with the ball in their hands. They’re both fantastic playmakers, home run hitters and people you have to game plan for.

“Both are relentless in their pursuit to be great. Both are relentless with the ball in their hands. Both are elite as route runners. Both are elite at catching the ball. They’ve got elite vision. Their play style and how they achieve it might be a little bit different but they’re both very, very, very, very good."

McCaffrey has been the NFL's best all-purpose back when healthy. He’s surpassed 2,000 yards twice, including last year when his 2,023 yards led the NFL. Hall is closing in, as he showed last season.

Hall led all running backs with 76 catches for 591 yards. He’s expected to be even more involved in the passing game this season as a first read on some plays.

“I know that if I can be healthy and be a three-down back, then everything I want I'm going to be able to do this season,” Hall said. “We're worrying about the team goals first and then individual stuff will come with that.”

Hall could become the second person in his family to have at least 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in a season.

His cousin is former 49ers star running back Roger Craig. He was the first NFL player with 1,000 rushing and receiving yards. Marshall Faulk and McCaffrey are the only other backs to do it.

Hall was not a 49ers fan growing up. He said he liked watching certain players. McCaffrey is someone Hall studied. He easily spouted off some of McCaffrey’s big plays for Stanford in the 2016 Rose Bowl.

“I like to watch him just to see how he has no wasted movement,” Hall said. “When he's running the ball or when he's running his routes, reading between being zoned or in man, he always makes the right read. It seems like he pretty much does everything right.

“It's always been cool for me to sit there and watch that because it makes me want to implement that part into my game and just have minimal mistakes and no wasted movement so I could get from point A to point B as fast as possible.”

Hall has done that in his own way. He’s quickly gone from rookie with potential to one of the NFL’s best backs. Hall downplays that, though.

“I haven't really done anything in this league yet,” Hall said. “The hype and all that stuff's there, but for me, it's just having a standard for myself of every time I step out on the field, I want to be the best player out there. I want every team to know who No. 20 is.”

They already do. 

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.