Michael Hall Jr. NFL Draft 2024: Scouting Report for Cleveland Browns DL

HEIGHT: 6'2"

WEIGHT: 290

HAND: 10"

ARM: 33½"

WINGSPAN: 81⅛"

40-YARD DASH: 4.76

3-CONE: N/A

SHUTTLE: N/A

VERTICAL: 33"

BROAD: 9'3"

POSITIVES

— Quick off the ball and agile which, combined with efficient footwork, makes him dangerous when slanting.

— Has impressive upper-body strength and long arms to get extension against offensive linemen when he gets his hands up quickly.

— Has the strength to shed blocks and has a dirty arm-over move to escape and make tackles against the run.

— Can be effective with a bull rush when he keeps his pads down.

— Sets up his finesse moves well by getting to square on the offensive lineman, and he has decent movement skills to build on his pass-rush arsenal.

— Can develop a club-by move as a pass-rusher. Has the strength and has used it a few times to defeat blocks against the run.

NEGATIVES

— A bit of a tweener body type; too big for a defensive end, too small for a defensive tackle.

— Plays with his hands down by his waist, which exposes his chest against the run and limits his pass-rush arsenal. Still learning how to use his hands when rushing the passer.

— Subpar block recognition. Late to react to blocking schemes, which will put him out of position. Also doesn't anticipate double-teams or down blocks, leading to him getting washed inside.

— Has a habit of standing up out of his stance, reducing the effectiveness or consistency with his bull rush.

— Conditioning could use some work. Often runs out of gas toward the end of games.

2023 STATISTICS

— 12 G, 24 TOT, 2.0 TFL, 1.5 SK

NOTES

— Born June 13, 2003

— 4-star recruit in 2021 class, per 247Sports

— Injuries: 2023 (Undisclosed, missed 1 game), 2022 (Left shoulder, missed 1 game and was limited in others)

OVERALL

In college, Michael Hall Jr. was a versatile defender who played up and down the defensive line for Ohio State. He'd line up as wide as a defensive end and as far inside as a 1-technique or shaded on the center as a nose tackle. That was a result of his blend of strength and athletic ability for his size.

Hall has the get-off, agility and footwork to get penetration when slanting and has shown the strength to bench-press offensive linemen and get extension when taking on blocks straight up. He also has little to no issues getting off blocks, displaying the strength and violence to shed in addition to a nice arm-over move to escape.

Probably the biggest key to the Buckeye's game—and what he needs to become more consistent with in the NFL—is his use of hands. Far too often, he gets caught with his hands down by his waist, which can allow offensive linemen to get to his chest. That's also a big part of why he hasn't been as productive as a pass-rusher.

Hall has the movement skills to add more moves to his tool belt, but he struggles to get clean wins because he doesn't work the blocker's hands well.

Schematically, Hall is tough to place. He's a bit of a tweener body type and isn't big enough to play as a 3-technique, but he isn't a good enough athlete to line up outside of the tackle. Generally speaking, his best fit would probably be as a 4i-technique in odd fronts.

GRADE: 7.1 (High-Level Backup/Potential Starter — 3rd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 73

POSITION RANK: DL8

PRO COMPARISON: Osa Odighizuwa

Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder

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