In the lead-up to last year's draft, Aidan Hutchinson thought he was destined for Jacksonville. Then the Jaguars pivoted and took Georgia defensive tackle Travon Walker first overall. Hutchinson said later that the snub "will stick with me forever," but time heals all wounds. With the Jags in town this week for joint practices with the Lions, Hutchinson was asked Wednesday if he ever wanders to Jacksonville in his mind.
"Nope," Hutchinson said. "I’m happy here. Very thankful, it all worked out. It was divine timing. The way things unfolded was the way they were supposed to go."
The way they're unfolding now, Hutchinson is poised for a huge season -- and maybe the kind that will make minds in Jacksonville wander to Detroit. The 23-year-old looks bigger and badder than he did last season when he was runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year, lighter and more limber on his feet. He's been so steady in camp that Hutchinson has almost drifted out of view. Then he comes flying off the edge, 6'7 and 270 pounds, to sack the quarterback.
"He was already a confident player, but you can just see he has a ton of confidence," Dan Campbell said last week. "You see these tools coming out that have elevated his game. He’s got a counter move, he’s got a spin, he’s got a bull (rush). He’s violent shedding the run game. He sets an edge. He’s a big man with a high motor, and he’s taken it up a notch. That’s what you want to see.”
Related
It's only year two for the No. 2 pick, but Hutchinson looks like the best player on Detroit's defensive line. Of course, that was the case last season when he played by far the most snaps for the Lions up front and led all rookies in sacks and QB pressures -- and finished second in run stops, per Pro Football Focus. But Hutchinson didn't really find his footing until halfway through the year when the Lions started letting him loose more often from a two-point stance.
This season, he's ready to wreak havoc from start to finish. Hutchinson's peers just voted him one of the top-100 players in the NFL. They might view him as one of the top-10 pass-rushers by the end of the year. It's not crazy to suggest a 15-sack season is within Hutchinson's reach, something the Lions have only seen once in franchise history (Robert Porcher, 1999). A breakout year for Hutchinson would push this team's ceiling even higher.
"I think the sky’s the limit for me," he said. "I really feel that. I haven’t even scratched my potential yet. I feel like I’m still stacking the days and still getting so much better every day. So, man, it’s going to be a fun year."
And year two tends to be a big one for elite edge-rushers. Former No. 1 pick Myles Garrett went from seven sacks to 13.5 in his second season. Former No. 2 pick Nick Bosa went from nine sacks to 15.5 in his second full season. Former No. 5 pick Khalil Mack went from four sacks to 15.0. Former No. 2 pick Von Miller went from 11.5 to 18.5. Who's to say Hutchinson can't go from 9.5 to 15-plus?
(Oh, and the Watt brothers? T.J., drafted 30th overall, went from seven sacks to 13, and J.J., drafted 11th overall, went from 5.5 to ... 20.5.)
Lions new defensive line coach John Scott got to know Hutchinson more than he would have liked to during his tenure at Penn State. Scott likes him a little more in Detroit. And like everyone else in Allen Park, Scott sees a player who's ready to take off, who's "able to anticipate a lot better" and eliminate hesitation with a year of NFL experience under his belt.
"Hutch does a great job of watching tape and learning and understanding the scheme," Scott said Wednesday on 97.1 The Ticket. "And man, when you take that with the athletic ability and the motor and you understand the scheme to the nth degree and how people are going to attack you, it makes you a whole nother player. You can see things before they happen lot of times."
Hutchinson missed practice Monday with an ankle injury but said he's fine. That had to be come as a relief for the Lions, whose defensive line can take a big step forward this season with Hutchinson leading the way. They're full of potential up front, "a lot of young guys who are eager to go out there and play and hit someone, man," said Hutchinson.
"That’s what I think is most important, what we need and it’s what we have this year," he said.
And in Hutchinson, the Lions have a player they wouldn't hesitate to draft again.
Listen live to 97.1 The Ticket via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker