The Browns get piece of ball via Hall

The rookie linebacker was instrumental in Cleveland’s win at Cincinnati.

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Browns selected Alex Hall in the seventh round of the NFL draft in April, viewing the linebacker from Division II St. Augustine as a project.

Instead, Hall has been pressed into a starting role and made the play that helped seal the Browns’ 20-12 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday.

With the Browns clinging precariously to a 17-12 lead in the fourth quarter and the Bengals driving, Hall blasted in from the left side on third down, grabbed quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick by the leg and sacked him for a 9-yard loss, forcing a fumble.

“They had just scored a drive earlier and were pressing to come back and a couple of guys were like, ‘We’ve got to get off the field,’ ” Hall said. “So I just went out there did it — tackled the quarterback.”

It was the second time in two weeks that the rookie had a sack, the first coming during his first NFL start in Baltimore in place of the injured Willie McGinest.

“Alex has been a good surprise for us,” said general manager Phil Savage. “He’s made a name for himself in the early portion of the season. His sack-fumble really kind of sealed the deal. We have very high hopes for him.”

In training camp, the Browns knew they were onto something with Hall and thought he would come along during the season. However, thanks to a season-ending injury to Antwan Peek and McGinest’s hamstring, he was thrust into the starting lineup in Week 3.

Of course, Hall, a rush end in college, is still incredibly raw. After praising his game-saving play in Cincinnati, Crennel added that the rookie made a couple plays that hurt the team.

“It’s the run some and it’s the pass drops and assignments other times,” Crennel said. “This is a pretty big chunk that he’s bitten off. Now he’s at the top level of football playing linebacker which involves drops, reading patterns, rushing the passer, playing the run, formation recognition, and it adds up quite a bit. But if he continues to work and play this way, he’ll be a good player for us.”

One bonus for Hall has been learning from McGinest, a Pro Bowler who helps him on the sidelines after almost every series. McGinest, who hopes to return to face the New York Giants Oct. 13, talks to him about formations and alignments.

“It’s still early, but he’s got a lot of raw talent,” McGinest said. “When he really starts to learn and understand all the things that are going on, he’s going to be very good.”

Hall will probably rotate in when McGinest returns. If Hall continues to progress, the Browns hope to spring linebacker Kamerion Wimbley from having to face the left tackle every week and get him more mismatched on backs and tight ends.

Some folks have taken to calling Hall “Baby Kam,” Wimbley said. At 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, he’s similar in build to Wimbley.

“A lot of people talk about the similarities between us, so if teams think of him as another threat, that’s great,” Wimbley said.