Aidan Hutchinson made a trip to Houston on Wednesday and left with some hardware. Michigan's star defensive end won the Lombardi Award as the best lineman or linebacker in the country as chosen by the Rotary Club of Houston.
Hutchinson was selected over Texas A&M OL Kenyon Green, Iowa C Tyler Linderbaum and Iowa State LB Mike Rose. The award is given to that player who "best exemplifies the character and discipline of NFL Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi."
Past winners have done big things in the NFL, like Hall of Famers Warren Sapp and Orlando Pace and future Hall of Famers like Julius Peppers, Luke Kuechly and Aaron Donald. Hutchinson could follow in their footsteps. He's emerging as the favorite to go first overall in next year's draft, which could lead him home to Michigan. The 1-10-1 Lions currently own the No. 1 pick.
Or it could lead him back to Houston. The 2-10 Texans are slated to pick third.
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Hutchinson was born in Plymouth and attended Divine Child High School in Dearborn, but it was never really his dream to play for the Lions. You have to remember, they spent most of his childhood losing. He was eight years old when they went 0-16. He was a Michigan fan who preferred Tom Brady and the Patriots.
"Growing up, it was a little bit hard being a Lions fan," Hutchinson said Wednesday on ESPN Radio 97.5 in Houston. "The Lions have been struggling for a while. I actually grew up a Patriots fan, just with Tom Brady and stuff like that, so I never really loved the Lions too much. But hey, if they pick me, they’re getting it all."
If the Lions do wind up picking first, they can't go wrong with Hutchinson. (Right, Coach?) He would be a foundational piece of Detroit's rebuild and an instant boon to a defense that's on pace to finish among the NFL's bottom five teams in sacks for the third year in a row.
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That said, Hutchinson sounds pretty keen on Houston. It's where his dad grew up, before he blazed the trail to Michigan that his son would follow. Hutchinson said he "got off the airplane (Wednesday) and it felt right."
"I can’t lie to you," Hutchinson said. "Just the air, the atmosphere, the vibe. Houston’s a good place to be. If they draft me, I’d love to play for the Texans."
Of course, Hutchinson was speaking with a Houston radio station. He's not going to say anything but good things about the city and its football team. Maybe he'll join The Ticket in the next few weeks and tell us how much he'd love to play for the Lions.
For now, Hutchinson is focused on cementing his legacy at Michigan.
"A couple months ago, (my goal) was to beat Ohio State and win a Big Ten championship. I did that, so now let’s go for more," he said. "I’m just go glad I was part of the team that ended the Ohio State streak and the Michigan drought of Big Ten championships. Hopefully I can put a little cherry on top and get a national championship."