Detroit Lions EDGE Aidan Hutchinson may be the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft but that does not mean he is exempt from having a ‘Welcome to the NFL moment.'
Hutchinson is currently participating in his first NFL training camp and so far, things are going pretty smoothly for the Lions rookie.
“I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, this being my first NFL camp,” Hutchinson said. “But, for a week, a little over a week now, and it’s pretty smooth. I mean, it’s just football at the end of the day. That’s what I do. And, yeah, it’s going smooth so far.”
Aidan Hutchinson's ‘Welcome to the NFL' moment comes at hands of T.J. Hockenson
During a Tuesday's practice, Aidan Hutchinson received his ‘Welcome to the NFL' moment when Detroit Lions TE T.J. Hockenson flattened him with a block.
Following practice, Hutchinson spoke to reporters and he said that he is well aware of the fact that he is not going to win every rep at the NFL level.
“You’re going to lose reps, especially at this level. You’re not going to win them all, and I’m aware of that. If you do lose a rep, you move on, and you get after it the next rep,” Hutchinson said. “That’s what I did today, and that’s what I did yesterday. That’s what I do every day.”
Lions head coach Dan Campbell knows Hutchinson won't forget the block from Hockenson and that he will learn quickly not to let it happen again.
“Well, the first reaction is that’s it’s ‘Welcome to the NFL.’ That’s something he hadn’t seen, or he’s not even thinking about that,” Campbell said. “He’s thinking about his rears up in the air, and he’s going to get his best rush against (Penei) Sewell. And, all of a sudden, it’s like, ‘Woah.’ … And so, he’ll memory bank that, and I’m telling you he’ll — it may happen one more time, and I bet that’s about it. He picks up things pretty quick, but listen, it’s good to see. It really is. He needs that.”
