Aidan Hutchinson Has Been ‘All Business’ at Minicamp
Aidan Hutchinson has caught the eyes of many during the Detroit Lions’ offseason workouts.
There was plenty of attention surrounding him to begin with, as he was drafted second overall and hails from Dearborn, Mich.
As a local player, and one who was drafted highly, there are high expectations surrounding the defensive end.
Yet, he seems to be handling it well. His head coach, Dan Campbell, has been impressed with his mindset and effort during the team’s offseason sessions to this point.
“I think he’s been all business,” Campbell said. “What’s great about him is he’s quietly getting better right in front of us. He doesn’t say anything, he listens. He’s like a sponge in there. He absorbs the information."
Hutchinson has been working against the veterans in recent weeks, as part of organized team activities and now mandatory minicamp. The experience has been beneficial, as he continues to get first-hand experience against pro linemen.
“He watches how things are done and the way coaches want them done, and then he’s got a motor and he goes,” Campbell said. “He just learns and gets better every day. You just see it. I love that about him, every day there’s growth.”
Williams unlikely to be ready for training camp
Detroit’s other 2022 first-round pick, wide receiver Jameson Williams, has been unable to compete in on-field team drills, due to an ACL injury suffered in the College Football Playoff national championship game in January.
Though Williams has been outward about his desire to be ready to go by training camp, Campbell said Thursday that is unlikely.
“We’re gonna have a plan for him,” Campbell said. “With that said, I don’t see him being ready for training camp. I don’t see that. I’m very hopeful, but I don’t see it. We’re gonna do this thing right, and when he’s ready, he’ll be ready. But, no, I don’t feel like you’ll see him out there day one.”
There is an expectation that he will be ready to go during the season, but the Lions want to make sure that he is fully ready before putting him into action.
“We want to get him out there as fast as possible,” Campbell said. “Is it crucial? It is crucial, but not until he gets his strength up. He needs a lot of strength development in that body, his lower extremities, his legs, his knees, everything. Until he’s able to stabilize himself and get some strength that we feel good about so he can protect himself and protect that knee and he can compete at a high level, we’re not gonna put him out there.”
The second-year head coach reiterated that the organization is taking it slow with all injured players, including second-round draft pick Josh Paschal and third-year cornerback Jeff Okudah.
Notes
The Lions have made an addition to their administration, according to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Campbell confirmed the hire of Brandon Sosna, but declined to elaborate on what Sosna’s role will look like.
Sosna, formerly the chief of staff for USC athletics, has joined the Lions as a senior director of football administration. Thamel reported that Sosna oversaw USC football, and was the second-in-command for the Trojan athletic department, behind athletic director Mike Bohn.
In Sosna, the Lions are adding the apparent architect behind USC’s hire of football coach Lincoln Riley. He also has NFL experience, working with the Cleveland Browns as a salary-cap administration analyst and a contract analyst from 2017-18.
Cornerback Jermaine Waller was added to the reserve/retired list Wednesday. Campbell confirmed that the undrafted rookie from Virginia Tech decided to retire.
The head coach said it wasn’t injury related and that Waller decided it wasn’t for him.
“I want them to make sure that they really think about what’s next,” Campbell said. “Do you have a plan? And then I want you to sit back and think about, you’re sitting here five years from now and you’re looking back on this moment, are you gonna regret it?"
