The closer we get to the draft, the more it feels like the Jaguars ... won't take Aidan Hutchinson at No. 1?
It's not so much that Hutchinson, widely considered the best player available, has fallen in the minds of the decision-makers in Jacksonville. It's more that Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker has risen. Peter King of NBC Sports reported Monday that the word out of Jacksonville is to 'expect a surprise' at No. 1 -- which would seem to take Hutchinson off the table.
As such, King mocks Walker to the Jags at No. 1, noting 'it falls into GM Trent Baalke’s history of taking the athletic playmakers.'
Which leaves Hutchinson on the board for Detroit.
“A real Dan Campbell player,” one NFL GM told King.
There's no doubt about that. Hutchinson has a relentless motor, an obsession with winning and a huge appetite for football, three things he proved in his final season at Michigan. He also has a knack for making life miserable for quarterbacks, which would help one of the most pass-rush deficient teams in the NFL.
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Of course, you could also make the latter point about Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux, who might be the best pure pass-rusher in the draft. There are questions about Thibodeaux's love for football and his down-to-down effort, but the Lions have vetted him exhaustively and might feel good enough about the player to take a chance on the person.
There's a growing buzz that the Lions are "smitten with Thibodeaux and strongly considering him" at No. 2, reports King. His athleticism and natural talent would be hard to pass up. But King says he "just can’t see (the Lions) passing on Hutchinson," who has the drive to fulfill what he calls his own "limitless" potential.
“I have an infinite mindset. I have no boundaries. There’s no mountain that I can’t reach," Hutchinson told King. "That’s how I view myself and me playing football.”
King, by the way, also has the Lions trading down from No. 32 to No. 43 and picking up an extra second-rounder next year in a deal with the Falcons, who move up to take Ole Miss QB Matt Corral.
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