Asked if he was impressed by Aidan Hutchinson's rookie production, Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner said, "Yeah, he had more picks than me." Not bad for a defensive end.
In the annual ranking of the NFL's top 100 players as voted by the players, Hutchinson came in at No. 88 after finishing second to Gardner last season for Rookie of the Year. He led all rookies with 9.5 sacks and became the first ever rookie with at least nine sacks and three interceptions since sacks were officially tracked in 1982.
Drafted second overall by the Lions last year, Hutchinson exceeded his reputation as merely a high-motor player. He looks more like a do-it-all star.
"He's definitely proved a lot of people wrong," said Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons.
"As the season progressed," said Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson, "you just saw him starting to get better and better, both in the pass rush game and then the run game as well."
Hutchinson wound up playing the second most snaps on Detroit's defense. He made such an impression on running back Zonovan Knight in the Lions' win over the Jets in Week 15 that Knight said, "I’ll be the first to admit, he was basically playing in our backfield when we played him. He’s that type of player."
"He’s definitely going to be a candidate for the Hall of Fame when he gets done," said Knight.
At 22, Hutchinson is just getting started.
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