Salt And Pepper Reign Supreme

Aidan Hutchinson and Kwity Paye make for the most formidable duo of defensive ends in the Big Ten.

According to Pro Football Focus, Michigan has cornered the market when it comes to edge defenders in the Big Ten. Rising junior Aidan Hutchinson and rising senior Kwity Paye are the highest graded returning defensive ends in the conference.

Highest graded returning B1G edge defenders:

1. Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan - 82.9
2. Kwity Paye, Michigan - 80.9
3. Samdup Miller, Northwestern - 78.6 pic.twitter.com/PlrHo6t7Xd

— PFF College (@PFF_College) May 5, 2020

Hutchinson has been making plays since his freshman season and is poised for a big year in 2020. We outlined the 6-6, 278-pounder's potential earlier this year in a snapshot based on what he did as a sophomore.

If as a junior, Hutchinson can record 70 tackles with 12 for loss and 8-10 sacks, he'd likely be an All-American like his dad was and perhaps looking at himself on mock drafts. Those numbers are realistic and should be a lofty, but attainable goal for the big junior in 2020.

Paye lightly flirted with the NFL coming off of a solid junior season but did the right thing by coming back for his final year of eligibility. The 6-4, 277-pounder racked up 50 tackles including 12.5 for loss and 6.5 sacks last year and should improve on that since he missed one complete game and parts of a couple others. If he can stay healthy, expect those numbers to all go up during his final season in Ann Arbor.

The duo shared the Richard Katcher Award award last year, which goes to Michigan's most valuable defensive lineman. Salt and Pepper, as they've been dubbed, have a chance to be the most impactful defensive end duo in the conference and could, and should, be on the national map.