Chris Long acknowledges Aidan Hutchinson comparison

Lions general manager Brad Holmes offered Chris Long as a comparison for Aidan Hutchinson, and Long himself has acknowledged the comparison.

Leading into and after the draft, the pro comparisons for Detroit Lions No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson were mostly very favorable. With some inside knowledge from his days with the Rams, general manager Brad Holmes offered former NFL defensive end Chris Long as a comp during an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show.”

"The first time I saw Aidan, really, was back in 2020, when I was still with the Rams,” Holmes said. “He was kind of playing a different position. He was kind of playing more of an interior role. … When I first saw him, he reminded me of Chris Long a little bit.”"

Long himself joined Eisen’s show more recently, to broadly break down the class of rookie edge rushers. The comparison of Hutchinson to him naturally came up, and he did not duck it. (h/t to SI.com for the transcribed quotes).

Chris Long acknowledges Aidan Hutchinson comp, but doesn’t appear to love it for Hutchinson

"….Brad Holmes is the one who broke me down and Aidan down, as well. And, if that’s the comp, so be it. I guess good for him. Some people would say not good for him.When you draft Aidan Hutchinson, the reason they’re comparing Aidan Hutchinson to me is I hear the word ‘safe’ a lot. Like the upside isn’t there,”The thing I think people like about Hutchinson, and maybe a reason that Brad might compare us, is I was a 3-4 defensive end at Virginia, and it took me a year and a half to figure out how to play on an edge,” Long said. “But, on the good side of that, in the prime of my career, I played in a 4-high, in Gregg Williams’ defense. So, you know, you can do a lot of stuff with Aidan Hutchinson."

Long sees how the comp of Hutchinson to him fits for some, with both seen as “high floor” players. But it also seems Long sees the comp as practically a discredit to Hutchinson, and the potential he has as he enters the league.

Hutchinson would surely be at least somewhat ok with lasting 11 NFL seasons and winning two Super Bowl rings, as Long did. There are certainly worse comps to draw, even if Long never quite became a star on par with the expectations attached to his own status as a No. 2 overall pick.