Aidan Hutchinson named Lions non-QB MVP by NFL.com

Aidan Hutchinson, a former star on the defensive side of the ball for the Michigan Wolverines, has been named the Detroit Lions non-QB MVP by NFL.com. This comes before he has played a single game in the NFL.

Hutchinson was a second overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. As a Michigan native who stayed home for school, there are already incredibly high expectations for Hutchinson in Detroit.

The point of the exercise by NFL.com was to find the important players on each team that won’t get the same headlines as a quarterback. After all, it’s a team sport, and there are plenty of great players outside the quarterback position to look at.

The Lions are coming off a disastrous season, where they only managed three wins. Even when you include quarterback Jared Goff, the team MVP is seemingly up for grabs. So, why shouldn’t it be the highly touted Aidan Hutchinson?

“But what if the homegrown talent dominates out of the gate, racking up sack after sack for a previously toothless Lions defense,” writes Kevin Patra for NFL.com. “If Detroit is to go worst-to-first in the NFC North, the defense must be better, and that starts with Hutchinson having one of the greatest seasons in club history after setting the single-season Michigan sack record.”

Aidan Hutchinson is the only rookie to receive the nod as a non-quarterback MVP in the entire NFL. It goes to show how high expectations are for the young edge rusher. It also goes to show how weak the rest of the Lions roster is considered by experts. To have any early success, Detroit needs Hutchinson to step up and play at an incredibly high level.

What does an incredibly high level look like for Aidan Hutchinson? The rookie sack record is 14.5 sacks by Jevon Kearse. It’s stood since 1999, so it might not be fair to expect him to break the record. However, Hutchinson could push for double-digit sacks, especially with an additional regular season game.

For their part, the Lions are already incredibly happy with Hutchinson. Both his knowledge and athleticism jump off the page.

“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.

In any case, Detroit needs Aidan Hutchinson to have a great season to try and turn their fortunes around.