BEREA, Ohio -- As Michael Hall Jr. and Zak Zinter sat next to each other inside the team's practice facility Saturday, there was an obvious connection between the Cleveland Browns' newest draft picks.
Hall, who played defensive tackle at Ohio State, and Zinter, a guard at Michigan, were on opposing sides of one of the most storied rivalries in college football.
But there's another layer to their relationship: During the latest installment of the rivalry in November, Hall was shoved into Zinter's leg, inadvertently breaking his left tibia and fibula. The injury effectively ended Zinter's college career as Michigan went on to win the national championship.
Zinter, a unanimous first-team All-American selection in 2023, said he met Hall, a third-team All-Big Ten selection, during the pre-draft process and that there's no hard feelings about the injury.
"He's a great dude, and it's football," Zinter said. "You know, stuff happens when we're playing in the trenches, but I'm fired up and I think everything happens for a reason. So, just kind of a full-circle moment for that to happen and now we're going to be teammates."
Zinter said he's been cleared medically and expects to participate in rookie minicamp in two weeks.
Hall, the No. 54 pick, and Zinter, the No. 85 pick, likely won't be immediate starters in Cleveland but could be key players in the trenches for years to come.
"Being my rival throughout my career and finally being teammates here, it's crazy," Zinter said. "I'm going to be seeing him day in and day out. But we're brothers now and it's all about that."
"[We] were enemies in college, but we're brothers," Hall said. "Now we're brothers and teammates."