Emanuel Hall is known for the go route. Mizzou needs him to hurt teams in other ways

Missouri wide receiver Emanuel Hall fit perfectly into former offensive coordinator Josh Heupel’s air raid-spread hybrid offense, as he emerged as Drew Lock’s favorite deep ball target last season.

But under new offensive coordinator Derek Dooley, Hall will need to run more than just a go route as Missouri looks to go beyond its hurry-up offense. The Tigers also have to replace J’Mon Moore, who had back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons and is now a likely NFL Draft pick.

“He’s got to sort of expand his route inventory,” Dooley said. "He certainly has big-time traits to beat people down the field, but once you do that, they can take that away. You have to be able to hurt them in other ways.”

Before injuring his shoulder during the final practice of spring football, Hall seemed to be well on his way to filling Moore’s shoes. Missouri did not make Hall available for this story.

Under Dooley, Missouri’s receivers have nearly 120 routes, which Lock said is more than 10 times the number they ran under Heupel.

Lock said he and Hall have bonded over the mutual knock on them, which is that they’re only good for the deep ball and need to work on intermediate passes.

In 2017, Hall had 33 catches for 817 yards and eight touchdowns, and led the SEC in yards-per-catch with 24.8. But he was also hampered by drops, which cost Hall a few touchdowns and likely a 1,000-yard season.

"I think you’re going to see a different Emanuel,” Lock said. “He sees the receiver he needs to be. He acknowledged his downfalls last year and he’s a changed guy.”

Hall has also benefited from new receivers coach A.J. Ofodile, who has compared Hall’s route running to NBA star Russell Westbrook and fellow receiver Johnathon Johnson to Chris Paul. Both play the same position, but use different ways to score because of what makes them great.

“There’s a lot of different ways to get a particular route ran,” Ofodile said. “A lot of times the most effective way, is going to have to be matched up with what your athletic traits are.”

Hall had submitted his name into the NFL Draft advisory board at the end of the 2017 season, but ultimately decided to return to school.

With a 6-foot-3 frame and a 4.4-second 40-yard dash time, Hall could follow Moore’s footsteps to the pros with a strong senior campaign.

“The physical tools are off the charts,” Ofodile said. “You got a guy, as fast a player as there is in the country especially when the ball is in the air. A guy who has some success under his belt. He’s been here three years, the process has been ongoing. He’s very hard on himself. He wants to be good, he’s got a little perfectionist in him.”

Dooley will mark Hall's third offensive coordinator at Mizzou. Despite having to learn a new offense for the third time, his confidence hasn’t been rattled.

Offensive lineman Paul Adams, who also hails from the Nashville area, said he drove back home with Hall for spring break, which marked the first time the two discussed Dooley’s offense in-depth.

“I’ve never felt more confident in this offense,” Hall told Adams.

Adams said a Lock deep ball to Hall is a one-play summary of Missouri’s offense under Heupel.

Now with Hall being a more diverse threat, he can go his own route to finish his college career.

This story was originally published April 17, 2018 at 5:30 PM with the headline "Emanuel Hall is known for the go route. Mizzou needs him to hurt teams in other ways."