Could former Buckeye be the “ideal” partner alongside Kobie Turner?

Michael Hall Jr. never stuffed the stat sheet at Ohio State but could turn into a disruptive NFL pass rusher

The Los Angeles Rams might be scrambling to find a suitable playmaker in the NFL Draft to fill the hole Aaron Donald left. Second-year stud Kobie Turner will be expected to do much of the heavy lifting in 2024, but that doesn’t mean he should have to do everything himself.

NFL.com analyst Chad Reuter named former Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. as one of his two “ideal” top picks for the Rams in the upcoming draft. Reuter had LA taking Hall with the No. 52 pick in the second round.

“Aaron Donald’s retirement means the Rams will be looking for an active interior player to pair with second-year DT Kobie Turner. Hall is exactly that: a disruptive force in the middle of the defense who is a problem for opposing offensive linemen,” Reuter wrote in his April 12 article.

During his time with the Buckeyes, Hall totaled 45 career tackles with 10.0 tackles in 28 games, including 11 starts. Hall was named third-team all-Big Ten Conference after amassing a career-high 24 tackles in 2023.

However, he was not an every-down player and didn’t see as much playing time as he probably should have. That is a problem given he played on one of the best defenses in the country last season. There were still flashes of him potentially becoming a highly disruptive player at the next level. Connor Rogers of NBC Sports declared Hall to be an “NFL-caliber pass rusher” while breaking down his Big Ten game film.

Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder gave Hall a third round grade and viewed him anywhere from being a high-end backup to a potential starter. This is some of what Holder said about the ex-Buckeye in his scouting report:

“Hall has the get-off, agility and footwork to get penetration when slanting and has shown the strength to bench-press offensive linemen and get extension when taking on blocks straight up. He also has little to no issues getting off blocks, displaying the strength and violence to shed in addition to a nice arm-over move to escape.

Probably the biggest key to the Buckeye’s game—and what he needs to become more consistent with in the NFL—is his use of hands. Far too often, he gets caught with his hands down by his waist, which can allow offensive linemen to get to his chest. That’s also a big part of why he hasn’t been as productive as a pass-rusher.”

Based on initial analysis, Hall has plenty of developing to do before becoming an effective pass rusher in the pros and must be brought along slowly. Perhaps if AD was still around, pairing him with Turner would have been smart as he’d likely get ample time to learn. With Donald gone, drafting him to work alongside Turner immediately would be one hell of a “Welcome to the NFL” moment for the rookie to contend with.

Hall is just one of those players with such a high upside that it’s worth taking a risk.