Grading the Detroit Lions last 10 top-10 draft picks
DE Aidan Hutchinson, No. 2 overall–2022
Fortune smiled on the Lions when the Jaguars didn’t take Hutchinson first overall last year. Despite all the Kayvon Thibodeaux talk, the former Michigan Wolverine and Michigan native was a no-brainer.
In his rookie season, Hutchinson finished with 52 tackles, 9.5 sacks (which led the Lions and all NFL rookies), three interceptions and three pass deflections. He finished second to Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Hutchinson was also one of the Lions’ most reliable players last season, as one of four players to start all 17 games last season. Only one defensive lineman in the entire league (Maxx Crosby) played more snaps.
Grade: A+
OT Penei Sewell–No. 7 overall, 2021
Sewell has quickly established himself as one of the best right tackles in the NFL, earning a Pro Bowl nod last year. And there’s room for him to get better and refine some rougher edges of his game (relatively), entering his age-23 season.
Sewell may eventually move over to left tackle for the Lions, his college position, when Taylor Decker ages out and is gone. But the seventh overall pick in 2021 is a current and future anchor for an offensive line that should maintain its standing as one of the best in the league until further notice.