On the second day of the NFL Draft, the Browns selected DT Michael Hall Jr. with the 54th overall pick in the second round.
In three seasons at Ohio State, Hall recorded 45 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and six sacks. His best season was the 2023 season, when he had a career-high 24 total tackles. At the 2024 NFL Combine, Hall ranked third among defensive tackles with an athleticism score of 86.
“Ultimately it came down to talent,” Browns vice president of player personnel Glenn Cook said. “He’s a really talented young man. The way I would describe him is he’s a transformer. The way he moves his body, the way he attacks the quarterback.”
Hall, 20, brings youth to a veteran defensive line that is the driving force behind the Browns’ defense. The Browns brought back key players on the defensive line during free agency, re-signing DE Za’Darius Smith, DT Shelby Harris, and DT Maurice Hurst II. He also added free agent DT Quinton Jefferson to a line anchored by DE Myles Garrett and featuring DE Ogbo Okoronkwo.
“He’s got to earn it, just like any other player, and we hope he does that,” Cook said. “You can never have enough guys that can impact the quarterback and impact the passing game. So again he has to come in and obviously integrate himself into the way we do things. We hope he does.”
