The man can do it all. Aidan Hutchinson doesn't just pressure the passer, he picks him off. He doesn't just stop the run it, he stuffs it. He doesn't force fumbles, he recovers them. (And when he does drink beer, he prefers Dos Equis.) The second overall pick has lived up to every bit of the hype as a defensive menace in his first season with the Lions.
And now you can put his season in the record books.
With an interception, a fumble recovery and a half-sack in the Lions' rout of the Bears Sunday at Ford Field, Hutchinson became the first rookie in NFL history with at least 7.5 sacks, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries to his name. The only other defensive lineman who has matched those numbers in a single season is Bears Hall of Famer Richard Dent, also known as The Sackman. Not bad.
Hutchinson's latest interception came when he dropped into coverage on the final play of the first half with the Bears trying to score from midfield, read the eyes of Justin Fields and snared a pass intended for Byron Pringle -- a bit like his interception in Week 11 against Daniel Jones and the Giants. His instincts shine more each week.
“It’s crazy, I’ve never touched the ball this much," Hutchinson said. "Balls on the ground, balls in the air, I feel like I got a chance. It’s crazy to hear that stat (first rookie defensive lineman with three interceptions in a season), but I’m just out here doing my thing.”
His latest fumble recovery came on the previous drive when fellow rookie James Houston strip-sacked Fields and Hutchinson pounced on the ball. He has a knack for being in the right spot, like in Week 9 against the Packers when he slipped into coverage to pick off Aaron Rodgers in the end zone.
"Football is a very weird game," Hutchinson said. "Some guys get some plays that come to them, sometimes they don’t. This year I’m having one of those years where everyone is throwing the ball to me, so it’s fun."
The advanced numbers love Hutchinson, too. He had the second highest Pro Football Focus grade among qualifying rookies entering Sunday, bested only by Defensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner Sauce Gardner of the Jets. He also had the most quarterback pressures (43) and the third most run stops (30).
The draft pundits were right about Hutchinson: he has a non-stop motor. They were also wrong: he has a higher ceiling than almost anyone realized.
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