Detroit Lions select Michigan EDGE Aidan Hutchinson in 2022 NFL Draft

Heading into the 2022 NFL Draft, the virtual consensus was that former Michigan star Aidan Hutchinson was a top-five pick. That held true Thursday night. The Lions drafted Hutchinson as the No. 2 overall pick, wasting no time to take one of the more highly touted prospects on the board.

Hutchinson had a monster 2021 season that put him into the Heisman Trophy conversation, finishing second in the voting. His 14.0 sacks set a new Michigan single-season record, and his 3.0 against Ohio State put him over the top.

Out of high school, Hutchinson was a four-star recruit and the top prospect in the state of Michigan from the Class of 2018, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Aidan Hutchinson

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein addressed whether Hutchinson can carry his college dominance to the NFL and enhance the Jaguars’ pass rush. He seemed skeptical about Hutchinson’s ability to take over a game, but admitted

“Defensive end prospect with a can’t-miss combination of football character, skill and physical traits who is more likely to contend for occasional Pro Bowls than become an All-Pro playmaker,” Zierlein wrote. “Hutchinson’s strength and flexion allows him to drop a deep anchor and set a very firm edge, and that is unlikely to change as a pro whether he’s used in 4-3 or 3-4 fronts. He can be too mechanical, engaging in cursory contact rather than using his hands to whip the man in front of him quickly.

“Hutchinson is an instinctive rusher, assailing the pocket with a non-stop barrage of activity. His hands are skilled and efficient to grease the edge while fluid counter steps open inside paths to the pocket. He needs to add a few more items to his rush menu in order to maintain his rush production against NFL tackles. Hutchinson is scheme versatile and should be a very good starter with a very high floor, but his ceiling might not be as elevated as some of the talent he’s been compared to.”