By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

It was only four short years ago that Michael Hall Jr. was terrorizing quarterbacks across Portage County.

Now, after a successful career at Ohio State University, the 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive lineman, is a member of the NFL.

Better yet, he received the opportunity to stay home.

The Cleveland Browns selected Hall with the No. 54 overall pick of 2024 NFL Draft on Friday night, using the team’s only second-round pick to secure Hall and boost the team’s depth at defensive line.

Hall played three seasons for the Buckeyes, playing in 24 of the 28 games he was available to play in. He started 12 games, finishing his career with 45 tackles, six sacks and 10 tackles for a loss.

In his final season with the Rockets in 2020, Hall had 41 tackles, two sacks and 12 tackles for a loss.

“We have a lot of Ohio State alum who were very excited and very positive on Mike Hall,” Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry said in a press conference on Friday.

In a video shared out by the Cleveland Browns on social media, head coach Kevin Stefanski was shown speaking to Hall on the phone and said, “We are pumped to get you up here. You are a DNA fit for us. We love everything you bring to the table as a player, as a person. You are gong to wreak some havoc for us.”