Dan Campbell: Aidan Hutchinson has 'taken it up a notch'

After finishing second to Sauce Gardner for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, Aidan Hutchinson is expected to make a leap in his second year for the Detroit Lions.

Dan Campbell provided some good news on that front as he said that is exactly what’s coming for last year’s No. 2 pick. In a press conference on Wednesday, he explained how Hutchinson’s confidence has helped him add a ton to his game which, in his eyes, will help him take the next step in his second season.

“I feel like he’s got more in his toolbox. He was already a confident player but you can just see has a ton of confidence,” said Campbell. “You see these tools coming out that have elevated his game. So he’s got a counter move, he’s got a spin, he’s got a bull. He’s violent shedding the run game, he sets an edge. He’s a big man and he’s got a high motor.”

“(Hutchinson) has taken it up a notch. That’s what you want to see,” Campbell said.

As a full-time starter for Detroit in 2022, the Michigan product posted 52 tackles, good for seventh on the team and the most on the defensive line. He also recorded a team-high 9.5 sacks, the second most interceptions with three, three pass deflections, and a pair of fumble recoveries.

That’s exactly what the Lions were looking for from their highest-drafted player since Ndamukong Suh in 2010. That was just the appetizer, though, based on how Campbell says shifted things into another gear heading into his second campaign in Detroit.

Hutchinson says he and Dan Campbell are a lot alike

Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson and head coach Dan Campbell have developed a deep connection in just one year of working with one another. Part of the reason for this can likely be explained that they are very similar people.

Hutchinson was on The Rich Eisen Show in late July talking with the radio show host and discussed his connection with the 47-year-old head coach.

“I think me and Dan think a lot alike,” Hutchinson said. “Even this offseason, I really felt like we were connecting more than we ever did. Because I came to the OTAs just in great shape and we were kind of talking about that. He just talked to me about how pumped was. He really thought I was gonna break out this year. To have your head coach come up to you and say something like that, it’s very encouraging. It’s very inspiring. That stuff gets me fired up. My coach believes in me and sees the work that I’ve put in this offseason. He can feel it just like myself. That’s when you know you’re on the same page.”

Hutchinson said that one of his favorite things about his head coach is how great he is during team meetings.

“Honestly, what I look forward to most, having Dan as my coach, is the team meetings,” Hutchinson said. “Last year, he showed us — it was the Kentucky Derby. What’s that horse that came in last, or it started in last and went and won it? It was like the biggest upset in the odds or something? And he probably showed us that video four times last year, especially when we started the rally by the end of the year.”