Hassan Hall and Charlie Thomas show why they are pushing for roster spots vs Eagles

Can Hall and Thomas make the Cleveland Browns roster for the 2023 season?

The Cleveland Browns are nearing the end of their preseason and two former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are fighting for roster spots. Tonight against the Philadelphia Eagles, Hassan Hall and Charlie Thomas showed their promise and how they are going to be making it tough on Cleveland Browns decision-makers when it comes time to set the roster. 

Tonight, Hall was active on offense for the Browns. He ran the ball eight times for 16 yards and caught two passes for 11 yards on five targets. He was also the kick returner for the Browns tonight, returning three kicks for 62 yards. Hall has been a versatile player for the Browns during the preseason and that could push him towards making the roster. 

Thomas was flying around for the Browns tonight, totaling three tackles, one for loss, and a pass deflection. 

Hall could be on a similar path that Jordan Mason was last season. After not being drafted coming out of Georgia Tech, Mason played a role in the San Francisco 49er's backfield last season on their way to the playoffs

Hassan Hall was a versatile player for Georgia Tech / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

After having only 24 carries through the first four games of the season in 2022 for GT, things changed in game five against Pitt, the first game with Brent Key as the interim head coach.

Hall had his breakout game against the Panthers, carrying the ball 20 times for 157 yards, averaging nearly eight yards per carry, including a 63-yard run. For the rest of the season, Hall would have at least eight carries in each game except for the last game of the season against Georgia.

Hall was also the fifth-leading receiver for Georgia Tech, catching 28 passes for 165 yards.

While he did not receive an invite to the 2023 NFL Combine, Hall made sure to put on a good showing for his pro day. He ran a sub 4.5 forty-yard dash, had a 37-inch vertical jump, which was the best among all participants that day, a 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump and he had 18 reps on the bench press. He left an impression that day among the NFL scouts that were in attendance. Thomas had a fantastic season that resulted in him earning second-team All-ACC from the AP. He finished the 2022 season with over 100 tackles, had two sacks, two pass deflections, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles. He was a constant playmaker for the Yellow Jackets and he is not going to be easy to replace.

Because of his size at 6'2 207 LBS, I don't think that Thomas is going to be a traditional linebacker that plays a lot of snaps in the box. I think he could make a mark as a safety or linebacker in nickel packages that are used in coverage and as a blitzer and that is why I think he could make the roster. Thomas is also a missile when it comes to finding the football. 

Thomas tallied 10 career sacks at Georgia Tech, as well as reeling in four interceptions. His coverage grades of 80.5 in 2021 and 70.1 in 2022 suggest that there is potential for Thomas to be a good coverage player and the 10 sacks show he can be an effective blitzer from different places around the field. He showed how versatile he can be tonight and how well he does flying around on the defense. 

The Browns have one more preseason game to go and it is next Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

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