CLEVELAND — The NFL preseason is mostly a waste of time, yet Mike Hall Jr.'s exhibition debut with his hometown Browns qualifies as an exception.

Hall appearing in a 23-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the preseason opener Saturday evening at Cleveland Browns Stadium represents a special milestone in his football life.

"It's just a hell of a feeling playing in front of thousands and thousands of fans supporting us," said Hall, a Cleveland native and Streetsboro High School graduate.

Feel-good story aside, Hall's development is important for the Browns.

When the franchise traded three first-round draft picks to the Houston Texans for quarterback Deshaun Watson in March 2022, the organization weakened its ability to pick top-tier talent.

One way General Manager Andrew Berry can compensate is by nabbing elite players beyond the opening round. He struck gold with cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. in the third round (No. 68 overall) in 2022 and appears to have found a long-term starting offensive tackle with Dawand Jones in the fourth round (No. 111 overall) in 2023.

A second-round selection (No. 54 overall) out of Ohio State, Hall is Berry's best hope for a draft steal this year.

What have the Cleveland Browns thought about Mike Hall Jr. during the rookie's 2024 training camp?

The Browns have been encouraged enough by Hall during this summer's training camp for three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Za'Darius Smith to compare the rookie to future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald, a former three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year who announced his retirement from the Los Angeles Rams in March.

Well, did Hall live up to the hype against in a live-game setting?

Hall showed promising pass-rush skills as expected. His ability to penetrate and collapse the pocket as a three-technique is exactly why Berry stood pat in Round 2 and chose him despite receiving several calls from other teams interested in trading for the 54th pick.

When Hall was fresh off the bench, he also proved to be surprisingly stout in the trenches for a 21-year-old player who's listed as 6 feet, 3 inches and 300 pounds.

"A lot of people think I'm undersized, I can't play the run and all that," Hall said. "So [I'm] just very happy to show people that I can also play the run."

However, as the action progressed, Hall appeared to be worn down a bit and increasingly surrendered ground at the point of attack.

How did second-round NFL draft pick Mike Hall Jr. play for the Cleveland Browns in their 2024 preseason opener?

Quinton Jefferson and Maurice Hurst II started at defensive tackle with fellow veterans Dalvin Tomlinson (arthroscopic knee surgery last month) and Shelby Harris (undisclosed injury) sitting out.

Hall's first NFL preseason snap occurred on the Packers' successful extra-point kick after starting quarterback Jordan Love's 65-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks with 13:38 left in the opening quarter.

When Hall joined the defense for the first time with 7:55 left in the opening quarter, he lined up at three-technique while Sam Kamara manned the one-technique, otherwise known as nose tackle.

Hall gave two second-string offensive linemen — left guard Royce Newman and left tackle Andre Dillard — substantial resistance out of the gate. He rallied to the ball on a tackle for loss on second-and-1 and helped control the line of scrimmage on the next two snaps, the latter resulting in a turnover on downs when linebacker Mohamoud Diabate tackled running back AJ Dillon for no gain on fourth-and-1 at the Green Bay 46-yard line with 5:37 remaining in the first quarter.

“He's going to be good, man," Jefferson said. "You might be undersized, but if you're getting off the rock and you're being violent, which he is, you're going to be good.

“He can hold his own in the run game. My man has some heavy hands, he's aggressive and he's got that mindset. He wants to show he can f****** play the run.”

When the Cleveland defense's next series began with 3:20 left in the first quarter, Hall rushed and pursued Packers backup quarterback Sean Clifford as he scampered out of bounds for a 2-yard gain. Then Hall demonstrated signs of fatigue for the rest of the quarter by failing to threaten as a pass rusher and placing his hands on his hips, but he insisted afterward he wasn't gassed.

Newman and Dillard began double-teaming Hall in the second quarter. The tandem easily moved Hall out of the way on running back Emanuel Wilson's 5-yard rushing touchdown with 2:48 left before halftime.

Of course, Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz won't complain if offenses use two linemen to handle Hall in real games because it would increase the likelihood of Smith and reigning NFL Defensive Player of Year Myles Garrett receiving one-on-one matchups.

Hall registered just one tackle, a stop on a 4-yard run by Wilson with about 8:30 left in the second quarter. He didn't tally a sack or a quarterback hit. He said he wanted to get off some blocks with greater speed. He made his presence felt on several pass rushes, though.

“In the NFL, the ball's out quick," Jefferson said. "You have to be efficient with all your steps. You might have a good rush, but one false step or anything, the ball's out of there. So I'm just happy for him to get his feet wet and just get really an idea of what it's like playing in an NFL game.”

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After the Packers turned to their No. 3 O-line in the third quarter, Hall rushed up the middle against rookie center Jacob Monk and left guard Lecitus Smith. The extra attention paid to Hall left defensive end Isaiah Thomas rushing one-on-one against left tackle Caleb Jones. Thomas applied pressure on Clifford with an inside move against Jones, causing the quarterback to roll out to his left.

Clifford then threw an incomplete pass intended for receiver Samori Toure, who ran his route through the end zone and out of bounds. The Packers settled for a field goal with 12:10 remaining in the third quarter on the next play.

Hall played sporadically for the remainder of the third quarter and logged just one snap in the fourth quarter.

Resting Hall late in the exhibition opener is a clue the Browns have a prominent role in mind for him during the 2024 season, and injuries at defensive tackle might force the coaching staff to play him more than they originally intended.

There is plenty to like about Hall's Browns baptism. Improving conditioning and anchoring against double-teams should be on his to-do list moving forward. He said he's seeking consistency. The reasons Cleveland's brass coveted him the draft, though, have already flashed on an NFL field.

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

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns rookie Mike Hall shows pass-rush flashes in preseason opener