How Browns draft pick Michael Hall Jr.'s Streetsboro High School days paved his way to NFL

What Mike Hall Jr. accomplished in his varsity football debut verified Streetsboro High School coach Pete Thompson's beliefs and placed the young defensive lineman on a path toward his hometown NFL team.

Nearly six years before the Browns drafted Hall on Friday night in the second round (54th overall) out of Ohio State, he lined up as a Streetsboro sophomore across from former Chagrin Falls Kenston offensive tackle George Sell in the 2018 season opener.

Kenston, the eventual Division III state champion, routed Streetsboro 44-14, but Hall had a dominant individual performance against Sell, a starting offensive lineman at Wake Forest. College scouts who were studying Sell's game film became enamored with Hall.

“Probably November, December of that year, I started to take calls from some colleges of, 'Hey, who the heck is No. 76 on film here?' Nobody had him in their recruiting databases,” Thompson told the Beacon Journal by phone Sunday.

One of the people who asked Thompson the question is Ed Terwilliger, the director of high school relations and a recruiting assistant at Ohio State. In the summer of 2019, Hall received a flood of scholarship offers. Later, the Buckeyes formally added themselves to the long list of No. 76's suitors, and Hall committed to them on Feb. 1, 2020.

After compiling 45 tackles, 10 for loss and six sacks in three seasons at OSU, Hall is the first Streetsboro graduate to become an NFL draft pick, Thompson and the school's athletic director, Randy Tevepaugh, said.

“It makes it even more special that he gets to play and live around family, friends, and hopefully stay connected to our program by being local,” Thompson said.

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A defensive tackle who measured 6 feet, 2¾ inches and weighed 290 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine, Hall grew up a Browns fan in Garfield Heights and attended Cleveland Benedictine High School as a freshman. He transferred to Streetsboro before his sophomore year because his mom, Lynda Hall, moved to Portage County for a new job. Hall stayed in his home state for college, and he'll begin his professional career in Northeast Ohio.

“Being with my hometown team has just been a blessing come true,” Hall said Saturday at Browns headquarters in Berea. “It's the greatest feeling ever. I feel like everybody wants to stay home, but sometimes it's not a reality.

“Waking up this morning, it's an actual reality. Waking up as a Cleveland Brown, it's insane. I talked about this with my family, friends, ever since I played football at the age of 6.”

Hall, who will turn 21 on June 13, played freshman football for Benedictine before his arrival in Streetsboro. Another Rockets D-lineman, Andrew “Biggie” Douglas, met Hall when they worked together at McDonald's. Douglas told Thompson about Hall and eventually brought Hall to a weightlifting session at the high school. As Thompson watched Hall squat and power clean, the coach turned to one of his assistants and said, “We've got ourselves a two-way starter here.”

Hall played right offensive tackle — “one of the most violent blockers I've ever coached,” Thompson said — and defensive end and tackle on Streetsboro's three-man front.

“His physical progression from the time he was a sophomore to the time he graduated from Streetsboro just was amazing to watch and observe,” Tevepaugh said Sunday during a phone interview. “His football IQ under the tutelage of Coach Thompson just escalated, and I think it really helped in his transition to Ohio State.

“Mike was always quiet in high school. He didn't have a lot to say, but he performed well on the athletic field. Actually, he was a basketball player as well for a few years, and I think that's really helped his ability as a football player. He's got such great agility, great feet and he's able to move laterally.”

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Hall's development helped Streetsboro reverse the fortunes of its football program, which Thompson has coached since 2017.

The Rockets went 4-6 when Hall was a sophomore, 11-1 when he was a junior and 8-1 when he was a senior. The 11-1 record in 2019 included Streetsboro capturing its first conference title since 1992 and its first playoff victory in school history — a 21-14 triumph over St. Vincent-St. Mary.

“It was 29 degrees out when the game ended, and you would think based on our celebration we had won the Super Bowl,” Tevepaugh said.

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While Hall held his introductory news conference as an NFL rookie, he reflected on the role Streetsboro played in his football journey.

“When I moved to Streetsboro, it was all new to me 'cause they weren't like big on football,” Hall said. “They were a little bit more basketball, wrestling, so it was kind of all new to them when I came out there.

“It was just kind of like changing the culture. … So to be able to provide them [with the team's first conference title in 27 years] and be a help to the team and bring back multiple of those and make multiple playoff appearances, I mean, that was the best thing that ever happened.”

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Now challenges associated with adjusting to life in the NFL await Hall on and off the field. As much as playing in one's old stomping grounds is a feel-good story, it can come with added pressure and distractions.

Last summer, Thompson attended a baby shower for the son of Hall and his girlfriend. Thompson explained Hall's mom provides a strong support system. He opined Browns Pro Bowl cornerback, former Ohio State star and Nordonia High School graduate Denzel Ward will give Hall a great example of how to succeed as a pro athlete who plays where his roots are. Thompson added Cleveland's veteran defensive linemen should offer good guidance, too.

“He wasn't somebody in high school that had a huge circle of friends,” Thompson said. “We never had to worry about him on the weekends getting in any trouble outside of school or anything like that. He's got a child now. I think that's added a level of maturity as well. The biggest thing for a lot of kids when they get drafted is realizing that this is your profession now, and the ones that are successful at it address it as such.”

Thompson said he saw Hall become all business in high school, ensuring he would be able to capitalize on the doors football would open.

“There were some things in the classroom he had to take care of and just grow up a little bit,” Thompson said. “That summer between his sophomore and junior year, within two weeks I think he got 20-some offers, and I think that was a life-changing couple of weeks for him because he realized that football could be that vehicle for him, not only to go to college, but maybe make money one day.”

Hall's four-year rookie contract will be worth $6.9 million, according to spotrac.com.

The Browns coveted Hall and his pass-rush skills enough to select him despite receiving several calls from other teams Friday night about trading the No. 54 overall pick, assistant GM and vice president of player personnel Glenn Cook said. Hall visited the Browns during the pre-draft process, enjoyed the experience and told his mom and older brother he felt as if Cleveland “was the one.”

Since the Browns turned in the card during Round 2, Thompson has exchanged text messages with Hall and his mom. Tevepaugh spoke to Lynda Hall by phone and extended congratulations on her youngest son's NFL dream becoming a reality.

“We're extremely proud of Mike,” Tevepaugh said. “He was obviously a great athlete at Streetsboro High School, and he played tenacious defense. Following his career has just been great for our community and our school district.

“We've never had anything like this before. We've had so many good athletes come through our district, but nobody to the level that Mike has achieved.”

In the eyes of Hall and the Browns, this is merely the beginning.

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns drafting Mike Hall Jr. fires up Streetsboro football