In a conference call in advance of the 2022 NFL scouting combine, NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah offered up a lot of interesting tidbits about the upcoming draft and prospects. The very first question he answered, courtesy of Dave Birkett of the Free Press, dealt with the Lions and their possibilities with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft.
Jeremiah, a former NFL scout, ruled it down to two options: Michigan EDGE Aidan Hutchinson or Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton. He made it clear Hutchinson was the top choice and could very well be the No. 1 overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“If Hutchinson’s off the board and he’s gone, if he goes one, I would have no issues whatsoever with them taking Kyle Hamilton and saying this is a plug-and-play guy who’s going to give them something they desperately need, and that’s somebody that can make a play,” Jeremiah told reporters via Zoom. “In a different draft, where maybe you had some guys at a different level of grades, then you could say, ‘okay, well, I’ll lean towards the edge rusher, positional value, all that stuff.’ But I think Kyle Hamilton stacks up really well with everybody in this draft.”
In a later answer, he addressed the Hutchinson vs. Kayvon Thibodeaux argument. Jeremiah wasn’t that bullish on Thibodeaux, who has been a popular projection for the No. 2 pick as well. He noted that Hutchinson, “plays a lot harder on a consistent basis” and has “more explosive power” in his hands.
