After two impressive seasons to start his career, it's clear that the Detroit Lions have something special in former No. 2 overall pick and edge rusher, Aidan Hutchinson.
Hutchinson put together a stellar rookie campaign in 2022 with 9.5 sacks, which was good enough for runner-up in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. In 2023, the Michigan product took a step forward with a career-high 11.5 sacks and earned himself his first Pro Bowl nod for this efforts.
With Hutchinson on the trajectory he's on, it comes as no surprise that he was ranked among the league's best pass-rushers in ESPN's annual rankings based on the opinions of NFL coaches, scouts and executives.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Hutchinson was voted to the No. 6 spot after going unranked last year. Here's the write-up for the Lions star:
The former No. 2 overall pick made waves as a rookie and broke through after a big sophomore season.
Detroit now has a face of the defense after Hutchinson produced 11.5 sacks, 33
quarterback hits, seven passes defended and three forced fumbles in 2023."High ceiling. He will be the next Nick Bosa," an NFL scouting director said. "Banking on him getting even better. Highly disruptive, physical, near rare motor."
After seeing the progress he's made over the first two seasons of his career, and with the Lions adding more help upfront in D.J. Reader and Marcus Davenport, it's only fair to expect that Hutchinson will be even better in Year 3.
