Detroit Lions training camp kicked off on Wednesday and Aidan Hutchinson is already where he belongs.
Hutchinson, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has impressed the Lions’ coaches ever since the moment he stepped foot in Allen Park.
In fact, during OTAs, Lions’ defensive line coach Todd Wash said Hutchinson is a better athlete than he originally thought he was.
“Obviously, we’re very excited to have him, but I think he’s a better athlete than I thought he was,” Lions defensive line coach Todd Wash said during OTAs. “Dan Campbell and I and even [general manager Brad Holmes], we’ve talked about it. I said he’s a better athlete than I thought he was off tape. There’s kind of a unique way he can lean and bend that we didn’t necessarily always see on tape, but out here you really see it, and versus good competition. So we’re excited about where he’s at.”
“He’s very, very intelligent,” Wash said. “This morning we played defensive jeopardy basically and he was answering all different questions from even different positions, where you’re like, ‘Damn, that’s good stuff.’ So we’re excited and once we get pads on then I think we’re going to see even more out of it.”
Detroit Lions coaches already have Aidan Hutchinson where he belongs
As noted by Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic, the Lions coaches moved Aidan Hutchinson all over the place during OTAs but on Day 1 of training camp, he was repping 100% with the first team.
From The Athletic:
When the Lions opened OTAs, Aidan Hutchinson spent a few days repping all over the place. That included with the third and fourth teams on the demonstration field, as most rookies do. That ended, more or less, by the start of minicamp. And on day one of training camp, the No. 2 draft pick firmly worked with the first team — and only the first team.
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It’s one practice, but it’s noted. Hutchinson was Aaron Glenn’s starting strong-side edge with the first-team defense throughout Wednesday’s workout. He rotated plenty with Julian Okwara, as both young pass rushers will occupy arguably the most important playmaking position in this defense. More often than not, both players are working off the edge with their hand on the ground. But, in time, it’ll be no surprise to see the Lions throw some stand-up wrinkles in there, too. Either way, that position needs to be able to rush, cover and defend the run. Hutchinson and Julian Okwara are Detroit’s two most explosive athletes in the defensive front, so this pairing makes a lot of sense — and could be really good in time.
Nation, what are your expectations for Aidan Hutchinson during his rookie season?
