There were no primal screams from the Lions draft room like there were last year when they landed Penei Sewell seventh overall. But Brad Holmes, Dan Campbell and Co. looked pretty thrilled Thursday night to grab two top-tier players in the draft's first 12 picks: DE Aidan Hutchinson and WR Jameson Williams.
In fact, the Lions were so excited to land Hutchinson No. 2 overall they submitted the pick almost as soon as the Jaguars took Travon Walker No. 1. The Dearborn native and Michigan product will give Detroit's defense a major boost.
When the Lions called Hutchinson in Las Vegas with the good news from Allen Park, Holmes joked, "You went all the way to Vegas, you should have stayed home. You could’ve just caught an Uber over here, man. ... Let’s disrupt and get after the quarterback, alright?"
Campbell, already calling Hutchinson 'Hutch,' told him, "Listen, your dream just started, man. This isn't the end, this is the beginning, you know what I mean? Come in here and help us win games, just be you, and let’s turn this ship around."
About an hour later, after trading up from No. 32 to No. 12, the Lions were calling Williams with the same news. And they looked especially geeked to get their guy, with high-fives and hugs all around.
"J-Dub," said Campbell, coining another nickname. "Congratulations, man. Let me tell you something. You know why we love you? Because you’re a football player. We love football players, man. You eat it and you sleep it."
Williams terrorized SEC defenses last season and has the chance to do the same in the NFL once he recovers from knee surgery after tearing his ACL in the national championship.
"Hey, come in here and get healthy, take the top off and be the dog that you are, man," said Holmes.