Aidan Hutchinson Already Impressing Dan Cambpell
It's all just been so perfect so far. Aidan Hutchinson, son of former Michigan All-American defensive lineman Chris Hutchinson, attended U-M just like his dad, mom and two older sisters did. He hit the field as a true freshman, was derailed a bit as a junior because of an injury, but returned for his senior season and ended up breaking the Michigan single-season sack record, defeating Ohio State, winning a Big Ten title and competing in the College Football Playoff. Then, he gets drafted No. 2 overall by the hometown Detroit Lions.
What a story already.
Now, he's impressing his new bosses during rookie minicamp in a way that should surprise exactly no one. Lions head coach Dan Campbell couldn't say enough about the crown jewel of the 2022 draft class.
"He's a perfect fit for us," Campbell said. "He's everything that we're about. When you're going to pick guys, particularly that high, they better fit everything that you're about, and he does that.
"I feel like it was meant to be. He belongs here."
That's what it seemed like to everyone on the outside when Hutchinson was drafted, and apparently it's already playing out that way in Detroit. After covering Hutchinson for four years at Michigan, I was asked by the All Lions website to explain exactly what the Lions would be getting in the No. 2 overall pick.
The Lions are getting a little bit of everything in Aidan Hutchinson. He’s obviously an extremely talented player who can play defensive end in a 4-3 or a stand-up hybrid EDGE rusher in a 3-4. But, he’s also a workhorse and a former Michigan captain. He’s going to be outstanding in the locker room and in the city of Detroit, and he’s going to be all about football all the time.
His father, Chris, is a former All-American defensive lineman at Michigan and had a cup of coffee in the league as a practice player for the Cleveland Browns, so the natural bloodlines are there. But, it’s Aidan’s commitment to excellence that has made him special. He wasn’t exactly an elite recruit coming out of high school, but he got after it in the weight room and maximized his natural gifts in a major way
A couple days ago, after finishing up a practice in the Honolulu blue and silver, Hutchinson spoke with the media and explained exactly why he thrived in Ann Arbor and why he should thrive in Detroit.
"It's great. This is what I do," he said. "At the end of the day, all that talk — I hate the talk. It's been a lot of months of talking. A lot of rah-rah. But now we're out here getting the work in, which is what I do."
