Dan Campbell defends Lions making No. 2 overall pick so quickly

The Detroit Lions wasted no time turning their card to take Aidan Hutchinson No. 2 overall, and Dan Campbell defended it as only he would.

Almost as soon as the Jacksonville Jaguars made Travon Walker the No. 1 overall pick last Thursday night, television turned to the Detroit Lions at No. 2 and “the pick was in.” It was clear they were wasting no time to take their guy, and it was of course Aidan Hutchinson.

According to Peter King of NBC Sports, the NFL was not too happy with the Lions turning their pick in so quickly. The league likes to envoke drama with the draft a television event as much as it is anything, and having teams not burn any time on the clock with their very early first-round pick doesn’t fit that mode. Head coach Dan Campbell confirmed the league wanted the Lions to use more of their alloted 10 minutes.

When the Jaguars didn’t take Hutchinson, the Lions had a no-brainer to take him at No. 2. Unless they were seriously considering someone else, or were taking calls to trade down, there was no need to wait.

Dan Campbell defends Lions turning in card for No. 2 pick so quickly

Campbell spoke to SI.com’s Albert Breer, and defended the move to make Hutchinson the second overall pick with no time wasted.

“I don’t think we overthought it. Brad said, ‘Turn it in, let’s go,’” Campbell said. “Because we knew we were good, ‘Let’s go, he’s our guy.’ We weren’t going to wait around, and we’re not going to do the whole dog-and-pony show. We got our guy and we turned the card in. …”

When they knew they had their guy in Hutchinson, the Lions were not going to play their part in the NFL’s effort to manufacture draft drama–“the whole dog-and-pony-show” as Campbell eloquently called it, in phrasing probably only he could use and have it come off as absolutely perfect.

In this first round of this year’s draft, the Lions identified two guys they wanted. When fortune smiled on them regarding Hutchinson, they moved immediately to take him while paying no mind to what would make the league happy. That aggressive mode is to be admired, whatever it specifically looks like.