Aidan Hutchinson said it himself: He's living the life. He's getting paid to play football. He just got a $23 million signing bonus from his hometown team, the second reward of a job that "a lot of kids grow up wanting and not many get to" have, he said. The first was a blue Ford Bronco courtesy of the Lions. But this metro Detroit dream has taken one early detour:
"I'm still at my parents'," Hutchinson said with a laugh after the Lions' third practice of minicamp Thursday. "I'm driving to practice every day, driving back, eating dinner with the family. So, you know, we're looking for a place right now."
In the meantime, Hutchinson is finding his place in Detroit's defense. The NFL patch was torn from the collar of his jersey after his latest practice, the price of another hard day's work. The pads aren't on, but the second overall pick is getting after it. Dan Campbell has been so enamored with Hutchinson's "all-business" approach that he's even gushing about him at home.
"I told my wife last night, 'You know what's great about him? He is just quietly getting better right in front of us,'" Campbell said Thursday. "He doesn't say anything, he listens, he's like a sponge out there. He absorbs the information, he watches how things are done and the way coaches want them done and then he's got a motor and he just goes. He just learns and gets better every single day, and you see it. I love that about him."
For Hutchinson, the lessons are in the speed of a faster game – faster plays, players, faster pace. Even in practice, he acknowledged that it's "a different tempo compared to college, but one that I'm getting used to and feeling good with so far." He's also learning a new defense, not that it's posed much of a challenge.
"Feeling like I got this defense down almost, so just trying to make things muscle memory at this point," Hutchinson said. "The more reps out there, the easier it is mentally to go through this stuff."
The Lions drafted Hutchinson to get after the quarterback. That shouldn't be a problem; fellow defensive end Jashon Cornell said he decided after a day or two of watching Hutchinson in pass-rushing drills, "Alright, you're legit." More generally, they drafted him to wreak havoc up front, from any alignment, in any situation, against any opponent. His role is rather simple. If Hutchinson consistently beats the man – or men – in front of him, he'll fit just fine in Aaron Glenn's new attack-oriented defense.
"If you're a really good football player, you're going to be a great player in any scheme," Hutchinson said. "Everyone's got their own style and their own way, but I know I'm a dominant player. So I'm just going to continue to do what I do, no matter what scheme I'm in."
That's not to downplay the task of learning a new defense. That's not to say Hutchinson hasn't felt growing pains. He's adopting new techniques on the fly against NFL players, part of which requires him to "re-wire my brain." So you can understand when he admits that, at times, "It's been a struggle."
"I know my expectations," he said. "I pride myself on not making the same mistake twice. That's how I know I'm going to keep this upward trajectory of learning and growing every single day. I can really feel it, too. And I'm screwing up, but it's OK because that's what it takes to take that next step."
The next step for Hutchinson, after a final practice with his fellow rookies next week, is training camp. That's when the pads come on. That's when they start to pop. That's when Hutchinson can really start attacking his goal, "to prove why the Lions drafted me so high and continue to prove people wrong and prove myself right."
"Going out here, that's my mentality every day," he said.
Going home is still a little strange. Hutchinson is a 21-year-old with a $35 million contract living with his parents. He's a dude from down the street who's about to be playing downtown. His life has changed and yet it hasn't. He shook his head and said, "I don't know if it has set in yet, to be honest with you."
"Like, I'm here," said Hutchinson. "I'm a Detroit Lion. It's just the weirdest thing thinking back to when I grew up, and now I'm here. As a rookie, I'm just rolling with the punches."
And throwing a few more back each day.
