Dawgs By Nature
Mike Hall Jr. and Mohamoud Diabate have made an impact for the Browns defense in Week 8’s victory
At least for one week, the Cleveland Browns are in a unique position of somehow being in playoff contention, just two games out of the final spot, and also being in line for a top 10 pick in the upcoming NFL draft.
The trade of WR Amari Cooper seemed to signal the focus on the future in Cleveland and that still could be true as next week’s NFL trade deadline looms. On the other hand, a victory in Week 9 against the Los Angeles Chargers, who currently hold the final AFC playoff spot, would create a lot of excitement.
Prior to the surprising victory in Week 8, we share six young players that should be prioritized on the Browns roster. WR Cedric Tillman has already had two straight breakout games and seems ready to take over an important role on the offense.
Two of the defenders on the list, DT Michael Hall Jr. and LB Mohamoud Diabate have also started to show their value to the team. For defenders, statistics don’t always tell the whole story. Their impact can be felt on individual plays and how the unit produces as a whole.
Hall and Diabate have made an impact either in the stat sheet or on the film recently.
Against the Baltimore Ravens, Diabate led the team with eight tackles including a tackle for loss. The undrafted linebacker also had a pass defended and a special teams tackle. Diabate’s play drew the attention of ESPN analyst Mina Kimes:
In Week 8, Diabate was Cleveland’s fourth highest-rated defender who played 40 or more snaps according to Pro Football Focus.
After playing just 27 snaps on defense last year, Diabate has already logged 133 in his second season in the NFL. Coming out of college, Diabate’s athletic traits were obvious:
While Diabate was undrafted in 2023, the Browns made Hall their first selection in the 2024 NFL draft. The second-rounder missed the start of the season due to suspension and, like most defensive tackles, doesn’t have a huge stat line in the three games he’s played but you can see his impact on the field:
Hall getting quick pressure should come as no surprise given his performance in college at The Ohio State University. His impact was seen by many this week:
The former Buckeye also got some snaps at defensive end which some were excited to break on film:
While playing just 25 snaps against the Ravens, Hall was graded by PFF just behind Diabate. As Hall’s snap count goes up into the mid-30 or low 40s the rest of the season (he’s had just 76 snaps total in the first three games), we will continue to see his impact on film and, as noted in Josh Edwards’ post, hopefully more marks on the stat sheet.
With Cleveland playing for now and the future, having Tillman, Diabate and Hall all looking strong the...
