Heading into draft night, sitting at the No. 2 selection, the Detroit Lions needed to inject blue-chip talent into a roster that sorely lacked it. It became clear the Lions were probably targeting defensive help in the likes of Georgia’s Travon Walker or hometown boy Aidan Hutchinson. Walker’s draft stock continued to rise to a point where he started challenging Hutchinson to be the top selection.
Walker would indeed go on to be the No. 1 pick, giving the Lions the player they probably wanted from the get-go in Hutchinson, considering how swiftly they turned in their draft card. It was a match made in heaven for both parties from the start. Hutchinson was just as advertised throughout training camp, to a point where everyone was ready to see what he could do in Week 1.
In the wake of that loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, some believe Hutchinson was largely ineffective. He finished with one lone tackle on the stat sheet, while Walker forced a couple of turnovers. But those individuals are missing the big picture regarding Hutchinson’s performance.
Tell me you didn't watch Aidan Hutchinson's performance against Philadelphia without actually telling me you didn't watch it. https://t.co/NK7aMNbifs
— Andrew Keck (@andrewkeck) September 11, 2022
Hutchinson was credited with three pressures, tied with John Cominsky for the team lead and second behind only George Karlaftis among rookies, who had six pressures while playing 90% of the defensive snaps. Sure, Hutchinson wasn’t able to get home on those plays, but his presence was undeniable as he seemed to be always around the ball. The defense, in large part, had a hard time containing the Eagles’ rushing attack, forcing the players to respect Hurts’ running ability and elusiveness.
Aidan Hutchinson would have 1.5 sacks now against 26 or 27 NFL quarterbacks not named Jalen Hurts. https://t.co/LjMtzA8xHz
— Ty Schalter (@tyschalter) September 11, 2022
Early in the game, Hutchinson looked to have overrun Hurts a couple of times and broke contain, but the mobile quarterback was quick enough to evade the rookie. As the game continued, Hutchinson looked to have been playing somewhat of a quarterback spy in certain situations, showing the staff trusts the rookie in those types of situations and alignments.
The expectations were high for Hutchinson, but everyone needs to remember this was his first NFL game, and it came against one of the better offensive lines and mobile quarterbacks in the game. There was going to be somewhat of a learning curve for him, but his adjustments showed he understands what he needs to do to help the team.
He has the traits every coach covets from a player, and with due time he should be the player everyone expects him to be, including head coach Dan Campbell.
“Listen here, he’ll be better next week,” said Campbell. “He needed this, and they all needed it. Most rookies, that’s the way it goes. You get into your first game and it’s just a little different. And look, I’ve got to watch the tape, but I know that he’ll be better next week than he was this week.”
