In his first season, he was runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year. In his second, a Pro Bowler. Makes you wonder what Aidan Hutchinson has in store for year three.
"Aidan out there, dear God," said Lions new guard Kevin Zeitler, a Pro Bowler himself. "He’s a wrecking ball."
In a league ruled by the pass, on a team known for its offense, Hutchinson looks ready to do damage on defense. He's already one of the better players in the NFL, ranked among the top 50 by his peers. He's on the verge of being one of the best. He's been a problem in training camp for the Lions' offensive line, relentless off the edge. Hutchinson's reps against Penei Sewell sound like clashes between battering rams. For every bull rush, there's a nimble spin move.
"Aidan Hutchinson is better than I thought," Lions new defensive line coach Terrell Williams said this week on 97.1 The Ticket. "Much better than I thought. He’s a guy that’s a grinder, great leader, but he’s trying to learn football. A lot of times you get a guy who’s been a Pro Bowl player, No. 2 overall pick, but this guy has an undrafted free agent mentality where he feels like he’s gotta work to get better and make this football team."
Williams is one of the keys to pushing Hutchinson further. The best defensive line coach in the NFL according to Dan Campbell, Williams wants his players to let it rip. Especially "when you got a guy like Hutch," he said, "you just gotta let him go." After a practice this week, Hutchinson said that "this year already feels different" and that the defensive line is performing better than he's ever seen. Training camp hyperbole? Sure, but Hutchinson also added this:
"If I'm being honest, I think a lot of it is the new coach we got. T has been one of those guys, everything we do is just pull the trigger. All we're really focused on is getting off the ball, striking blocks and the rest of it will take care of itself. I feel like that mindset is very liberating for a lot of D-linemen. They're not focused on not being so -- I don't know what the word is -- not being so strict about this block, that way. If we're just going as hard as we can, we're going to create a lot of different pressure."
Hutchinson created more quarterback pressures last season than all but one player in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. That would be superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons. It bears repeating that the the next three players on the list were Nick Bosa, Maxx Crosby and Josh Allen. Then Khalil Mack, T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett. We'd keep going, but you get the point. Hutchinson's sacks didn't catch up until later in the year, but he still closed with 11.5 -- plus three forced fumbles.
If you ask Williams, he'll tell you, for one, that pressures are more important than sacks. And two, that the gap in Hutchinson's numbers is about to shrink.
"A big part of that is, when you watch Hutch, I’d bet you there were at least seven times on tape (last season) where he got a pressure but then someone else wasn’t where they were supposed to be, and then the quarterback takes off and runs and it looks like, 'Well, Aidan got another passer but he didn’t get the sack.' Well that wasn’t his fault," Williams said. "So a lot of it is just getting these guys to understand how to rush together and where they’re supposed to be."
From the offensive line's perspective, that's already starting to happen. Left tackle Taylor Decker, who sees plenty of Hutchinson across from Sewell, said this week when asked about the guys on the other side of the ball, "They’re being very disruptive with their movements, they’re pressuring a lot more, they’re filling downhill."
"Just playing together more, they’re gaining confidence in each other," Decker said "There's a level of familiarity, and I just think they're playing aggressive. I think we’re going to see some big strides in the defensive line this year."
The addition of Marcus Davenport could prove to be shrewd. So could the Lions' faith in Levi Onwuzurike, who's healthy and having a loud camp with the first-time team defense. If Davenport, in particular, stays healthy -- and that's a rather big 'if' -- he should help hem quarterbacks in the pocket opposite Hutchinson. As Decker put it, "That guy can set an edge -- like, big-time. And to have that length, I think it's going to be huge for us."
"Just a big, violent dude, and he complements Hutch very well," said Williams. "Because Hutch is an athletic (rusher), he can beat guys on the edge, but you don’t want to have two guys running around each other and hitting each other at 12 yards (in the backfield). You need a guy who can really set it on the other side."
The Lions have stars across their offense, starting on the line. They have skill players galore. They don't yet have a game-wrecker on defense. Hutchinson is close. If he takes that step this season, it's hard to see how the Lions don't take another step as a team. They had two more to go last year when they came up short in San Fran. A couple more plays from the defense would have made all the difference.
A lot of Hutchinson's teammates have rewatched the 49ers game, to make it burn if nothing else. Has he?
"Absolutely, not," he said. "No. I remember that thing crystal clear."
When camp started last week, Hutchinson talked about stacking one season of growth on the next. He was a good player bordering on great in year one. A great player approaching elite in year two.
"And I feel like this year," he said," it’s a different mentality coming into camp. I know I’m the guy. I know I’m the guy that people are going to rely on, I’m the guy that is going to face the most expectations and pressure, and I’ve really learned to embrace that. That’s been the biggest difference in my mentality.
"When it’s the 4th quarter and someone’s gotta make a play and everyone’s looking at me, I say bring it on."