Ad Disclosure
2022 NFL Draft: Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson goes No. 2 overall to Detroit Lions
Published:
After it was all said and done, the race for the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft proved to be an interesting one. In the end, the Jacksonville Jaguars went with Travon Walker out of Georgia as the top pick in the draft.
That left Aidan Hutchinson available at No. 2 following an incredible 2021 performance for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. The Detroit Lions acted quickly and went with the Wolverine star, keeping Hutchinson in-state to begin his pro career.
Hutchinson was one of the top defensive players in all of college football last season. After suffering a season-ending injury in 2020, the defensive end bounced back with an incredibly dominant year in the B1G.
Hutchinson was named the B1G Defensive Player of the Year and was a Heisman Trophy finalist after piling up a league-best 14 sacks and adding 12 quarterback hurries to his stat line. He totaled 62 tackles, broke up 3 passes and forced 2 fumbles.
Thanks to Hutchinson’s contributions, Michigan defeated Ohio State for the first time under head coach Jim Harbaugh. The Wolverines also won their first B1G Championship Game and earned a trip to the College Football Playoff.
Michigan closed out the season with a 12-2 record.
Hutchinson had somewhat of a meteoric rise to the top of the college football ranks during the 2021 season. In his previous three seasons in Ann Arbor, he totaled 11 tackles for loss and just 3.5 sacks. He quadrupled his number of sacks and registered 5.5 more tackles for loss during the 2021 season alone.
Since early in the 2021 college football season, Hutchinson was considered one of the best players in the NFL Draft. Now, it’s time to see how quickly his game will translate on the field.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB