The Detroit Lions may have ruffled a few feathers over the weekend during the NFL Draft.
After the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Travon Walker with the first overall pick, the Lions wasted no time to jump at the chance to submit their card to take Aidan Hutchinson — the Michigan defensive end who grew up not far from Ford Field.
The NFL, however, was not thrilled with the Lion’s eagerness with the second overall pick.
Peter King of NBC Sports wrote on Monday that he spoke to one Lions official who said, “We turned the card in so fast the league got mad at us.”
Of course, the NFL Draft has become an incredible TV event for the league and want to milk every second of coverage that it can.
Last year, the Jaguars were reportedly informed to wait seven minutes before announcing their first overall pick of Trevor Lawrence despite the whole world knowing that was who they were going to take.
Apparently, no such mandate was given this year, at least not for the Lions’ at No. 2.
But Detroit had its heart set on Hutchinson and once it was confirmed he was not going to Jacksonville he got the call he was going to his hometown team.
“I was just praying the Lions were going to take me,” he said after the draft. “It’s a little bit scar when you get in that green room and the Lions are on the clock and you’re just sitting there like, ‘Dear God, please pick me.’ That was kind of what was running through my head.”
We’ll see if this leads to any changes or mandates from the NFL in future drafts.
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