Fortune smiled on the Detroit Lions early in the 2022 NFL Draft when Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson fell to them at No. 2 overall. He has been productive and an overall tone setter from the word go, and so far this season he is taking a legitimate step to becoming one of the best defensive players in the NFL.
Not just pass rushers. Defensive players. Name a pass rushing metric, traditional or deeper and from whatever sources (Pro Football Focus, ESPN Analytics, etc.) and Hutchinson is at or near the top of it after the first three weeks of the season.
After the Week 3 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Hutchinson made it clear to ESPN's Eric Woodyard he is eyeing the single-season sack record this season (22.5, held by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt).
"Even if I had no sacks right now, I will always have the mentality that I can hit that record. "I think I just have a lot of belief in myself. So, despite what the outcome is, I always think that record's there."
There's a common theme to survey about Aidan Hutchinson
Woodyard used the aftermath of the Week 3 game as the lead-in for his multi-question survey of several people about Hutchinson.
The survey participants included rapper Big Sean, Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell, Hall of Fame defensive end Richard Dent, former NFL defensive end Simeon Rice, private defensive line coach Eddie McGilvra, Bears offensive tackle Braxton Jones, Rams guard Kevin Dotson, Steelers (and Hutchinson's Michigan teammate) wide receiver Roman Wilson and Hutchinson's private strength coach David Lawrence.
McGilvra worked with Hutchinson during his pre-draft process. In light of what we see from him now, this part of a quote from McGilvra stood out.
"When I got with Aidan for his draft process he wouldn't even try and spin a certain direction because he only had one spin side. Now look at him. He's a mad man."
The responses to the specific question about what makes Hutchinson so good are consistent in a few ways: a widening array of pass rush moves, a relentless motor and a top-notch work ethic.
On the question of how good Hutchinson can be, Lawrence, his strength coach, had the most pointed answer with a reveal of how Hutchinson has changed his body composition.
"He's going to be as good as he wants to be. He's super young. ... After his rookie year, our first goal was that he didn't have any sacks off the bull rush, it was all effort plays and so the biggest thing that we wanted to do was put size on him so in the last two years he's put on about 25 pounds of muscle and lost about 15 pounds of fat so he's under 10% body fat right now, which is pretty good for a guy who's 268-270 to be right around 10% body fat."
Woodyard's entire piece about Hutchinson is well worth a look. But the core thread among those surveyed is the work ethic Hutchinson shows all the way around, on the field to make himself a headache for opponents and off the field to hone the craft he displays on the field.
The Lions had luck on their side when they were able to draft Hutchinson. But it was clear he was a great fit and if there needed to be outside proof, early in his third season, it's here now.