Mock drafts for the Cleveland Browns have run a spectrum, naming almost every position besides kicker and quarterback as potential targets for the team.
So when an NFL analyst names a choice that few – if any – mock drafts have identified, that pick should be considered either edgy or crazy.
Rotoballer draft and fantasy writer Kyle Lindemann made such a choice as a guest for a local podcast.
“BIGPLAY Cleveland Show” Podcast shared a video on Twitter Tuesday with Lindemann naming Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. as his hometown Browns’ “surprise pick” for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Talked about some potential NFL Draft options for the #Browns on the @BIGPLAYCLEshow. Thanks for having me! pic.twitter.com/HTsK7UBU8Z
— Kyle Lindemann (@LuckIsMadeFF) April 23, 2024
Lindemann noted that had Hall stayed at Ohio State for his junior season, Hall would have climbed up the draft board as a mid-to-late first-round draft choice in 2025.
The defensive tackle made honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference in 2022, starting in five games and recording 4.5 sacks for the Buckeyes.
In 2023, Hall earned Third-team All-Big Ten Conference honors after starting in seven of the 12 games he played in for Ohio State.
At the NFL Combine in February, Hall recorded the third-highest athleticism score of any defensive tackle and finished with the sixth-best overall ranking from the event.
Hall is 6-feet-3 and weighs 290 pounds, physical attributes that NFL analyst Lance Zierlein notes will make him an undersized athlete at this position in the NFL.
Despite that analysis, Hall continues to grade as high as a second-round prospect in this year’s draft.
Cleveland has the No. 54 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft’s second round this year.
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