One of the rare positives near the end of the 2024 season for the Browns was the continued improvement of rookie defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. After a suspension delayed his NFL debut, Hall graded 40th out of 219 defensive tackles last year. Unfortunately, he suffered an MCL tear in the team's Week 18 game against the Ravens and ended his year on the worst possible note.
With about a month to go until training camp, Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot previously reported Hall is doing well in his recovery. The last we heard from Kay Cabot was the goal was to get Hall healthy for the regular season, after resuming work during training camp.
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After adding Mason Graham with the fifth overall pick, the Browns have used their first pick of the draft on a defensive tackle in each of the last two years. The hope is that Hall and Graham can form a disruptive duo up front who can dominate with so much attention going towards containing Myles Garrett.
In 2024, Hall missed the first nine games and was used primarily as a pass rusher. Of his 227 snaps during his rookie year, 162 were against the pass. He totaled 16 pressures and a respectable 10.8 percent pass rush win rate. His numbers against the run were promising, but the sample size was so small it's not worth putting too much stock into.
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Graham is set to be the every-down staple of the defensive line, while Hall and free agent signing Maliek Collins will get lots of work in pass-obvious situations. Veteran Shelby Harris also figures to work in on earlier run downs after he was 25th among defensive tackles in run defense grade last year.
The one-two punch of Hall and Graham is one of the most talented defensive tackle combos the Browns have had in recent years. Their progression speed will be a huge part of how good the defense is in 2025, and the defensive potential is limitless if they can contribute like many hope.