Not long ago, Aidan Hutchinson being available for the Detroit Lions at pick No. 2 would have been a huge surprise.
Now, he might end up being there at No. 3.
Over the last few days, all signs have pointed toward the Jacksonville Jaguars drafting edge rusher Travon Walker out of Georgia with the No. 1 pick. Hutchinson, a Michigan product who for a while was the betting favorite to be the top pick, seemed like a logical option for Detroit at No. 2.
But during an appearance Thursday on the “Pat McAfee Show,” NFL insider Peter Schrager dropped a fascinating nugget of information.
"I already know that one team texted me -- and this is a team in the top 10 who is very interested in this answer -- said 'Hey I've heard Detroit-(Kayvon) Thibodeaux, what do you think?,” Schrager said. “…That would mean they take him over the local guy in Hutchinson, which might be an uproar there in Detroit.
“But it would also mean he hit it off with not just (Brad) Holmes, but it would also mean that he hit it off with Chris Spielman who is as football as it gets, Dan Campbell who is as football as it gets, Aaron Glenn who is as football as it gets. All that stuff that Thibodeaux talks about, which is like NFTs and crypto and a lot of stuff that people roll their eyes at in football circles … If those guys can be cool with the guy talking about his brand and all that stuff, it means they were really impressed with the player and the person, and that would be a shocker to me.
“But there are a lot of people around the league calling me saying 'Hey, Hutchinson is not even a slam dunk at two, just beware.'"
Thibodeaux, largely around the end of the college football season, was considered the likely first overall pick. But presumably because of injury concerns, he saw his stock drop steadily – to the point that some final mock drafts don’t even have him going in the top 10. In our final mock draft, we have the Jets trading up to No. 7 to get Thibodeaux.
If Hutchinson falls to third, then the Houston Texans seem likely to scoop him up. The Texans have historically done will for themselves drafting defensive ends in the first round, and one has to think they would love to have Hutchinson fall into their lap.
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