Michael Hall Jr., DL Ohio State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Hall was a four-star recruit from Streetsboro High School in Streetsboro, Ohio in the class of 2021

Ohio State defensive lineman Michael Hall Jr. lives up to the first round hype. He will be a highly sought after prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft if he stays healthy this coming season. Hall could play defensive tackle or defensive end at the next level.

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Michael Hall Jr., DL Ohio State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman from Streetsboro, Ohio

Background: Hall was a four-star recruit from Streetsboro High School in Streetsboro, Ohio in the class of 2021. He was the No. 53 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 91 for Rivals, and No. 61 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 81st in the nation with an 85 grade out of 100. Hall primarily played defensive tackle in high school but also took some snaps along the offensive line. As a high school junior, he totaled 72 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and five sacks. A broken hand cut his senior year short at just three games, but he still tallied 24 tackles, including nine tackles for loss.

Injuries & Off-Field: Suffered a season-ending broken hand as a high school senior, missed 2022 Toledo game, battled an upper-body injury in 2022

Awards: 2022 Third Team All-Big Ten (Media), 2022 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (Coaches)

Pros: Positional versatility to play across the whole line, room on his frame to add mass, nice linear speed, examples of explosive get-off leading to penetration, quick and fluid upper body leads to some wins early in the play, gets slippery to slide through interior gaps, attacks the lineman’s hands, club-swim move was there all day against Notre Dame’s (2022) center, spin move, chop, swim move, club-swim move to defeat interior linemen for quick penetration, keeps hands active as a pass rusher with swats and swipes, decent bend and cornering at his size, uses footwork to fake out linemen, lateral explosive steps to shift between gaps, good change of direction skills, some flashes of anchoring one-on-one against the run, works toward the ball horizontally even if he’s being pushed back vertically

Cons: Never played 300 defensive snaps in a year, most of his 2022 impact production came from just three games, undersized for an interior player, arm length could be a concern, play strength needs to improve, pass rush plan is developmental, only a few moves at his disposal, rush plan is easily redirected by powerful linemen, struggles to corral the QB once he’s in the backfield, late to deploy hands and absorbs too many body blows, allows linemen into his pads, pad level is inconsistent, locked out by linemen with length advantage, generates little to no displacement against the run, sealed easily, offers nothing against double teams, sometimes collapses down the line which surrenders the edge, loses at the point of attack too quickly against the run when lined up on the interior

Overview: Injuries and a deep Ohio State defensive line rotation limited Hall to under 300 defensive snaps in 2022. He played everywhere from 1-tech to 5-tech along the line. Hall is an impressive athlete capable of making splash plays as a penetrating defensive lineman, but he lacks consistency, experience, and technical development. He’s somewhat reminiscent of Clemson’s Bryan Bresee from the 2023 NFL Draft. There’s room on Hall’s frame to add mass and get closer to 300 lbs., although bulking up might eliminate some of the positional versatility that makes him a defensive chess piece. The junior showcases nice linear speed and examples of explosive get-off at the snap. That explosive first step helps Hall penetrate quickly and cause immediate chaos in the backfield. His quick and fluid upper body generates some wins early in the play. Hall gets slippery to slide through interior gaps. As a pass rusher, he attacks the lineman’s hands and deploys several moves. His favorite is a club-swim that he dominated with against Notre Dame (2022). Hall also uses swats, swipes, chops, regular swims, and spins. The Ohio native showcases decent change of direction skills, bend, and cornering at his size, suggesting he can take more snaps at base end. He uses footwork, feints, and explosive lateral steps to fake out linemen by pretending to target one gap before firing through another. There are some flashes of Hall anchoring one-on-one against the run, but his run defense is inconsistent at best. He generates little to no displacement against the run and offers nothing against double teams. There are too many reps where Hall is sealed easily or quickly loses at the point of attack. The former four-star recruit is undersized for an interior player and has questionable arm length. His play strength and anchor need to improve if he wants to be a full-time defensive tackle. Hall frequently plays around but not through offensive linemen. Most of his impact production in 2022 came from just three games (Arkansas State, Michigan State, and Notre Dame). He needs to put everything together in 2023. Hall’s pass rush plan is developmental, and he only uses a few rush moves. The All-Big Ten selection is late to deploy hands, which leads to him absorbing too many body blows. He plays with an elevated pad level and allows defenders into his frame.

Overall, Hall is a very impressive athlete with first round developmental upside who primarily wins with quick penetration, but he still needs to diversify his rush plan and become more consistent against the run. Hall’s current positional versatility makes him a fit for most defensive schemes at the next level.

Role & Scheme Fit: Penetration style 3-tech with base end versatility

Round Projection: First Round

Size: 6'2", 285 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 05-23-23