Detroit Lions Get Steal Of The First Round In Aidan Hutchinson
By Kyle Edmond
Detroit Lions Get Steal Of The First Round With No. 2 Pick In Aidan Hutchinson
The draft has barely started, but you don’t have to wait any longer to see the steal of the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Detroit Lions secured that spot with just the second overall pick of the night.
As the 2021 NFL season was coming to a close, many fans of the Detroit Lions were upset to see the team play their way out of the first overall pick. It meant the odds of them getting not only the best player in the class, but a homegrown talent in Aidan Hutchinson went down drastically. Now, they end up with Ann Arbor’s edge rusher anyway.
Long assumed to be the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Hutchinson has been a hot name for months. He gained attention throughout the 2021 season at Michigan, finishing second in the Heisman voting. He tallied 16.5 tackles for loss and 14 sacks while forcing three fumbles. An absolute playmaker.
The momentum didn’t stop there for Hutchinson. He carried that into the offseason, showing off his skill set at the NFL Combine that all but secured his spot at the top of the 2022 NFL Draft. But talk does a lot and there was plenty of time for it.
As the NFL Draft drew closer, Travon Walker’s name started to climb boards. Despite Hutchinson’s claim to the top pick for so long, the hype of Walker caught up. Hutchinson was the top pick for months, but the moment that mattered saw Walker’s name announced first. The next move? The Detroit Lions running their draft card to the podium faster than any Barry Sanders carry in the history of his career.
It’s not often that the second overall pick is the steal of the draft, but that could very well be the case for the Detroit Lions with Aidan Hutchinson. Hutchinson has proven to be an elite talent and now has an even bigger chip on his shoulder.
He was second in the Heisman voting. After being long favored, he was overshadowed by an SEC player that many didn’t think was as deserving of the award. He was second in the draft selections. After being long favored, he was overshadowed by an SEC player that many didn’t think was as deserving of the pick. Now, he takes that added chip to a rebuilding Detroit Lions team.
If there’s a coach that will love that added edge to a player’s personality, it’s Dan Campbell. It might not be biting kneecaps, but Hutchinson is going to be on a mission from now until the end of his career to outplay Travon Walker and every other edge rusher in this deep class. And he gets to do it in his backyard.
Hutchinson is from Plymouth, Mich., just 30 minutes from Detroit. He played collegiately in Ann Arbor, about 45 minutes from Detroit. This is a homegrown player that the Lions were able to pluck from their backyard.
He’s the top talent in this class and the fact that Detroit was able to snag him without having the top pick could go down as one of the draft’s biggest steals. It might not be on the level of Ryan Leaf, Peyton Manning or Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, but the careers of Travon Walker and Aidan Hutchinson from this moment on will forever be entwined. As of now, the Lions have the edge of getting the best player of the pair.