Browns select Ohio State DT Michael Hall Jr., a Cleveland Heights native, at No. 54 in NFL Draft 2024

BEREA, Ohio — The Browns went back to the Buckeye well in the second round of the draft, selecting defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. in the second round with the 54th overall pick, and Hall is coming home.

Last year, they drafted offensive tackle Dawand Jones in the fourth round, and he was pressed into service as the starting right tackle in Week 3. They also have former Buckeye Denzel Ward at cornerback, who touted Hall in a press conference two weeks ago and posted a congrats on X on Friday night.

“Great addition in Mike Hall for the Browns,” Ward posted. “You can’t go wrong with the Buckeyes.”

Two weeks ago at the start of offseason program, Ward said, “I hope (we draft him). That’s a good player coming out in the draft from Ohio State that he’d be a good addition to the team I feel like.”

For Hall, a redshirt sophomore, the admiration was mutual.

“I mean, two Ohio guys growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, is just a great feeling,” Hall said on his draft conference call. “We know we’re real familiar with the area and to stay here our whole career, I mean, from Pop Warner to high school, middle school to college, to Ohio State, and then still staying home at the top of the peak of the level. So it’s just great.”

But Ward certainly isn’t the only former Buckeye with whom Hall can chant “OH-IO” in the locker room. He’s got three teammates from 2023 in right tackle Dawand Jones, center Luke Wypler, and safety Ronnie Hickman too.

“Oh, yeah, that’s my dog (Jone),” Hall said. “You know, Dawand, he just called me right before this. I mean, just, were talking about this the whole time, even with my formal, my 30 day visit. You know, he was just saying, like, ‘man, if you get here, it’s over with.’ We’re the best duo, like offense defense wise. And we bring a lot of juice at practice, even at Ohio State. I know it’s going to be ten times more at the next level, but really blessed to be able to play with my brother for life.”

Born in the Cleveland suburb of Garfield Heights, Hall (6-foot-3, 290 pounds), who turns 21 in June, played his high school ball at Streetsboro after starting out at East Cleveland’s Benedictine.

As a redshirt freshman, Hall was dubbed “Baby Aaron Donald” by his Buckeyes teammates because he was so difficult to block in practice.

A two-year starter at Ohio State, he earned top defensive lineman honors for the National Team at the Senior Bowl in January. He might need to add bulk in the pros, but his pass-rush win-rate was second among FBS defensive tackles. The 33rd Team’s Greg Cosell wrote: “Showed natural quickness off the ball in the run game with a snap to his movement, especially in confined spaces. Quick, explosive hand usage to break down OL in the run game. Excellent balance and body control. He played strong off the snap with leverage and power to jar OL, then lockout with his hands and play off blocks.”

Browns assistant GM Glenn Cook, said their phone started ringing in the war room 20 minutes before the pick about trades, and didn’t stop. He credited Browns GM Andrew Berry with patiently waiting for the pick and resisting the temptation to trade it.

“The way I would describe him is a shapeshifter, the way he can move his body, the way he can attack the quarterback,” Browns assistant GM Andrew Berry said. “I think probably next to Andrew, the happiest person was (defensive coordinator) Jim Schwartz. Just with our attacking style. He really fits our model and our style.

“So just really excited with his ability, with his upside, his ability to impact the quarterback. Those are the things I would highlight just to start, but really excited to get him.”

Browns assistant GM Catherine Raiche said Hall’s ability to rush the passer from the interior is a premium trait and something NFL teams covet.

“Those players will either go off the board early or get paid (in free agency),” Raiche said.

She noted that the Browns view his size (6-3, 290), a little small for a defensive tackle, as an asset and not a liability.

“I think when you look at how we play the position and how we ask our guys to get off the ball and how athletic they need to be and how quick they need to be, that’s what Michael is going to bring to the table,” she said.

Hall was a third-team All-Big Ten Conference selection in 2023, recording a career-high 24 tackles. He had only 1.5 sacks, but notched 4.5 the year before to go with his 7.5 tackles for a loss.

“We saw all the things you look for at the position (in Hall),” Cook said.

Raiche shared the exchange between defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and Hall.

“Jim got on the phone with him, gave him a quiz and he was ready to roll and he is about to be the engine of this defense and I’m not going to use the words that they used,” she said. “But let’s just say ‘mess things up’ in the front there.”

Draft analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic wrote, “With his first-step burst and lateral agility, Hall quickly gets vertical and is a tough player to handle one-on-one. He uses his long arms and natural leverage to work underneath blocks, although his lack of size and anchor put him in compromised positions, especially versus the run.

“Overall, Hall was more of a flash player than consistent force, but his quick-twitch movements and natural energy are the ingredients of a disruptive gap penetrator. If he stays healthy, he will be an immediate rotation player and eventual starting three -technique tackle in a four-man front.”

In the third round, when the Browns selected Michigan guard Zak Zinter, the tape revealed that Hall was the player who was shoved into Zinter and inadvertently broke his leg in Michigan’s victory over the Buckeyes on Nov. 25th. Zinter noted that the two players have “come full circle” as teammates now, and he can’t wait to join him.

By the time the Browns picked in the second round, several of the players high on their radar in that round were gone. They included Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey, who went 34th to the Chargers, Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton, who went 36th to the Commanders, and Oregon center/guard Jackson Powers-Johnson, who went 44th to the Raiders.

The Browns headed into Day 2 with picks No. 54 in the second round and No. 85 in the third round. They also have four picks on Day 3: No. 156 in the fifth round, No. 206 in the sixth round, No. 227 in the seventh round and No. 243 in the seventh round.