Cleveland Browns Star Reveals Massive Comparison For Mike Hall Jr.

Cleveland Browns edge rusher Za'Darius Smith thinks Mike Hall Jr. reminds him of a future Hall-of-Famer.

Browns defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. (51) stands on the sideline during minicamp, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Berea. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Cleveland Browns selected Ohio State defensive lineman Mike Hall Jr. in the second round of the NFL Draft this past April, and Hall is already apparently making quite the impression.

Prior to the Browns opening up training camp in Berea, edge rusher Za'Darius Smith spoke to the media and raved about Hall, comparing the rookie to an all-time great.

"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."

Donald is widely regarded as one of the best defensive linemen to ever play the game, so that is a heck of a compliment from Smith.

Hall is coming off of a 2023 campaign at Ohio State in which he registered 24 tackles, a couple of tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

The 21-year-old joined the Buckeyes in 2021 and had a very limited role during his freshman season, logging just two tackles. He then had a breakout year in 2022, finishing with 19 stops, 7.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and a fumble recovery in an expanded role.

The Browns have a pretty crowded defensive line rotation, so Hall will absolutely have to continue putting forth a strong showing for the remainder of camp and preseason in order to solidify his spot on the depth chart.