Aidan Hutchinson has his critics. Fellow defensive ends and top-three draft picks Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa and Chase Young probably did, too. Two were named Defensive Rookie of the Year, the other became an All-Pro.
And by most measures, Hutchinson is on pace with them.
So if you’re a critic of the rookie pass rusher for the Lions, you’re a critic of three of the NFL's best recent rookie pass rushers by extension.
Garrett was drafted first overall by the Browns in 2017 and played in 11 games as a rookie. If we prorate his stats over 16 games, he was good for 10 sacks, 53 QB pressures and 20 defensive stops, the latter defined by Pro Football Focus as any tackle that "constitutes a 'failure' for the offense." He was a Pro Bowler by year two, an All-Pro by year four and has been arguably the best defensive end in the game for three years running.
Bosa was drafted second overall by the 49ers in 2019. Over 16 games as a rookie, he produced 9 sacks, 80 QB pressures and 32 defensive stops. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year and went to the Pro Bowl.
Young was drafted second overall by Washington in 2020 and played in 15 games as a rookie. Prorated over 16 games, he was good for 8 sacks, 42 QB pressures and 32 defensive stops. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year and went to the Pro Bowl.
Hell, T.J. Watt, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year after nearly breaking the NFL's single-season sack record and a first-round pick in 2017, played in 15 games as a rookie and was good for 7.5 sacks, 42 QB pressures and 32 defensive stops.
Hutchinson, drafted second overall by the Lions this year, has played in nine games as a rookie. Prorated over 16 games, he's on pace for 10 sacks, 50 QB pressures and 33 defensive stops.
Stats never tell the whole story, because they neglect plays that don't show up in the box score. And if we're going by Pro Football Focus, Bosa, Garrett and Young -- and Watt -- graded out much more favorably as rookies than Hutchinson has so far. They were more impactful on a down-to-down basis.
Then again, Hutchinson still has two months to change that, and he's been
getting better by the week.
"He’s coming along nicely," Dan Campbell said Wednesday. "Every week he gets a little bit better and makes a few more plays. He learns pretty quickly. Look, there’s still things that happen to him, but he doesn’t make those same mistakes twice, which is what you’re looking for."
Whether or not Hutchinson wins Defensive Rookie of the Year isn't the point. The award is Jets cornerback and fourth overall pick Sauce Gardner's to lose. Point is, Hutchinson is producing like rookie pass rushers who have become dominant players in the NFL, which is exactly what the Lions need him to be.
"One of the things that we appreciate about him, not only is he growing, but he is an asset in the run game and the pass game. He’s all-encompassing. He plays with a high motor, he plays with technique, he’s relentless."
Speaking of plays lost in the box score, Campbell pointed out that Hutchinson drew a crucial holding penalty in the fourth quarter of the Lions' win over the Bears last week by "trying to violently shed the block" of tight end Ryan Griffin that wiped out a 19-yard gain, forced Chicago into second-and-18 and set up Jeff Okudah's game-tying pick six on the very next play.
"There’s things that you see all the time, and then there’s indirect production that we’re getting out of him that’s good," said Campbell.
And before Justin Fields lofted that interception in Okudah's direction, it was Hutchinson who sniffed out a screen at the line of scrimmage, forced Fields to hold onto the ball longer than he wanted and allowed the Lions to harass him into an ill-advised throw.
"We capitalized off of it, but it started with him," said Campbell.
Hutchinson finished the game with one sack, four QB pressures and five defensive stops as part of a career-high eight tackles. The Lions don't win without him. Across the board, it was maybe his best game of the season, a season that still has eight games to go.
Hutchinson has a ways to go himself, "but he's growing," said Campbell, "he's getting better."
Not so long ago, Garrett, Bosa, Young and Watt could relate.