It’s early, but the Lions already feel like they’re getting positive returns from selecting edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson at No. 2 overall.
Head coach Dan Campbell complimented Hutchinson on his first few weeks as a pro on Thursday. And defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn echoed those sentiments in his own press conference.
“Here’s my initial read, everything that we thought we were getting shows up, not just in practice but in the meeting room also,” Glenn said. “What else shows up is just those little things where you’re like, ‘Can he do this? I wonder if he can do it.’ And then you see it in practice that it shows up.
“He has this quickness that’s just unbelievable. He has this ability to bend and turn and continue to work his hands that is outstanding. Those are one of the things I talked about in practice yesterday with our D-line coach like, ‘Just watch him. He’s always working. He’s always working.’ That’s that relentless attitude that you guys could see when he was at Michigan that made him so successful. It’s natural for him. There’s no doubt in my mind that this player is going to be a really, really good player for us. I’m excited to see him once we get into training camp and he gets into games for us.”
In the lead-up to this year’s draft, the Lions talked about picking a player at No. 2 overall who can make an immediate impact. There’s a lot of time before Week One, but it looks like Hutchinson can be that kind of player for Detroit in 2022.