4 Ways Lions Can Maximize Aidan Hutchinson's Production in 2022
Lions fans are still glowing, after their team was able to land prized pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson from their own backyard.
Hutchinson played his college ball at the University of Michigan, where he terrorized opposing quarterbacks to the tune of 17.5 sacks during his time there.
All told, according to a tweet from Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports, Hutchinson had the second-highest pressure rate (14.2%) since 2019. He was second only to Alabama pass-rushing demon Will Anderson during that same time span (15.2%).
However, that was then, and this is now.
Hutchinson will now look to make life miserable for the signal-callers on the Lions’ just released 2022 schedule.
Hutchinson has drawn favorable comparisons to San Francisco EDGE rusher Nick Bosa. When figuring out how to best utilize Hutchinson in the NFL, a good launching point for Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn would be to watch a lot of San Francisco’s game film and see what has worked best for Bosa.
Outside of that, here are the four additional ways Glenn can best maximize Hutchinson's skill set during his rookie season.
1.) Move him around a lot pre-snap
From a game-planning standpoint, Detroit needs to rip a page out of Michigan’s playbook when it comes to Hutchinson. The Wolverines were constantly flip-flopping Hutchinson back and forth from the left to the right side of the line.
At Michigan, this kept opposing offensive tackles on their toes, and it kept them guessing where he was coming from next. It also allowed Hutchinson to keep relentlessly testing those tackles until he found the best way in to disrupt the pocket.
2.) Send exotic blitzes off the non-Hutchinson side of the defensive alignment
When offenses face an elite pass rusher, they will often gameplan to create blocking schemes intended to “help” the offensive tackle that is the less talented of the two.
This often will mean that they will use a back to help "chip block," and give their quarterback an extra second or two to attempt to throw the ball.
Detroit needs to send different blitz packages off the opposite side side of the line of scrimmage that Hutchinson is lined up on.
This will most likely cause any extra protection to key in on the incoming blitz and create a one-on-one matchup for Hutchinson. This will create the best opportunity for him to win and get to the QB.
3.) Install a lot of inside, designed pass rushes
While looking at his game film last season at Michigan (against Washington, Ohio State and Penn State), Hutchinson excelled hitting into the gap of the inside shoulder of the offensive tackles.
Detroit needs to allow Hutchinson to do the things he is best at, and this is clearly one of them.
4.) Line Hutchinson up pre-snap at the “wide-9” position
Each gap along the defensive line is numbered from inside out, starting with the number “0” over the opposition's center. The “wide-9” is a pre-snap spot where Hutchinson could line up further outside the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle.
What lining Hutchinson up wider outside pre-snap would accomplish is it would give him more “space” to attack less athletic offensive tackles, and by doing so, give Hutchinson more of a pass-rushing advantage.
