Browns veteran compares exciting Cleveland rookie to future member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Cleveland Browns didn’t make a ton of big-time additions this fall but there is one specific player in terms of rookies that has all involved excited. The Browns drafted defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. and brought him back to Northeast Ohio where he is from. Hall, who went to Ohio State, has a chance to […]
Cleveland Browns didn’t make a ton of big-time additions this fall but there is one specific player in terms of rookies that has all involved excited.
The Browns drafted defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. and brought him back to Northeast Ohio where he is from. Hall, who went to Ohio State, has a chance to make a Year 1 impact for the Browns.
Starting defensive end Za’Darius Smith may have accidentally grown the hype a bit more around the talented newcomer. Smith compared Hall to a player who will eventually be a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
"He's different, man," Smith said. "He reminds me of Aaron Donald a bit. He wants to learn and asks a lot of questions. To have a young guy like that just wants to continue to get better and better each and every day is just big for our D-Line and we're happy to have him."
Hall is a bit undersized as a defensive tackle and will likely play around 280 pounds, much like Donald did over the course of his career. Hall is going to have a role as a pass rusher from the interior in Year 1 with the Browns. The Ohio State product will need to improve as a run defender but can help the Browns on passing downs right away.
Cleveland will operate pretty interchangeably on the interior of the defensive line. Dalvin Tomlinson, Shelby Harris, and Quinton Jefferson could lead the room. Then, guys like Hall and Maurice Hurst will be blended in within their roles.
To be compared to a guy like Donald is probably a bit unfair and Smith could have been pointing at the explosiveness that Hall brings off the snap.
Thanks to the position he is in where he doesn’t have to produce heavily as a rookie, the expectations immediately shouldn’t be all that high for Hall. But when he gets his chance, expect Hall to bring some value to the field.
Mike Vrabel is helping the Browns unlock another level with one of their star players
The connection between these two with the work they’ve put in is going to be seen on the field.
