When the Cleveland Browns selected Michael Hall Jr. out of Ohio State in the second round, they took a bit of a risk.
According to multiple reports, there are teams around the NFL that had Hall off their board. It stems from concerns about his ability to be a pro. Despite the athletic profile that Hall possesses, his production in college was not that great.
Luckily for the Browns, they have figured out a similar situation like this before and very well could do it again.
Cleveland found a steal in OT Dawand Jones in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft and he was a player that fell because of some pre-draft concerns. Jones weighed in heavily during the process and ended up leaving the combine early. That did not sit well with some teams around the league.
Jones fit right in with Cleveland and didn’t have any real problems in his rookie year. As a rookie, Jones was pushed into a starting job early when Jack Conklin went down in 2023 and started nine games before he suffered a knee injury. During his time on the field, he looked the part of a future starter for the Browns at tackle for a long time.
"With Dawand Jones starting games in the NFL and being productive, Cleveland must be doing something right," an AFC scout told ESPN. "Not sure what they are doing there, but if Dawand can do that, Mike Hall can, too. The talent is there, he'll just need a bit of help and guidance to become a pro."
Cleveland won’t have to rush Hall into a starting job unless injuries come about and that should bode well for him adjusting to the NFL. The Browns will have him surrounded by veterans like Myles Garrett, Dalvin Tomlinson, Za’Darius Smith, and Shelby Harris.
The Browns have never been shy from taking chances and that is especially true with this current regimen. Hall has all of the tools to be a really good player in the NFL and it is up to the Browns to get that out of him.
