Getty Aidan Hutchinson on the field in 2022 against Minnesota.
The Detroit Lions have seen an up and down start to the season for Aidan Hutchinson, and even in spite of some of the uneven performances for a rookie, the work has been good for the defender.
Hutchinson has gotten off to a fast start in his career in spite of the fact that plenty of folks are paying attention to him, which provides an interesting dichotomy early in the season.
Hutchinson remains the leader in terms of rookie pressures with 11, and while some folks might be frustrated with him not collecting multiple sacks a game, there could be a good reason why. He’s also seeing a very high volume of double teams.
Twitter user DetroitMoments posted an interesting comparison, showing Hutchinson’s new PFF ranking as a top rookie in terms of pressure, while also showing that he has been doubled up a ton to start the 2022 season.
Certainly, the number of double teams that are thrown the way of a player can play a big role in how effective they are. Already, Hutchinson is getting the respect of a veteran player as a first-year defensive lineman.
With all of this in mind, Hutchinson might actually be performing admirably early in the 2022 season. He’s been faced with a lot and still has been making a major impact.
Clearly, the opposition knows he is someone to fear and respect up front on defense.
Hutchinson Proclaimed ‘Home Run’ Pick for Lions
Some of the big plays early on has led many to proclaim Hutchinson as a potential new star in the making for the team. NFL.com reporter Eric Edholm was the latest to beat this drum.
Recapping the 36-27 win over the Washington Commanders, Edholm touched on Hutchinson’s star power and admitted he is a big believer in what the rookie can do already.
“Sure, it’s only two games. But as it stands now, the Hutchinson pick looks like a home run. He’s now a huge part of this Lions culture change and rebuild, and the results are coming to fruition early,” Edholm wrote.
Seeing such a dramatic impact for Hutchinson is likely just what the Lions craved for their rookie. Now, it will be important for Hutchinson to keep the momentum going in the right direction the rest of the year and not hit the rookie wall.
Hutchinson Putting up Solid Early Stats
Even as the opposition is paying him attention, it’s clear that Hutchinson has some breakout ability early in his career. Already, he has surged to the top of some NFL leaderboards to start the season.
Hutchinson is still a leader in terms of league sacks heading into Week 4. So far, he is just one sack off the pace set by Micah Parsons in spite of having a slow start to Week 1 statistically.
In addition to that, Hutchinson continues to press the pocket in a big way. In terms of rookie pressures up front, there’s been nobody better than Hutchinson and Kansas City rookie George Karlaftis to this point. Hutchinson has 11 pressures while Karlaftis has 10.
Coming into the year, many wondered if Hutchinson could contend for Rookie of the Year and other top honors. His performance so far shows why that could be the case, providing he can put up some numbers moving forward even as folks target him for double teams up front.
Hutchinson has a definite target on his back to start the season in terms of the opposition, so it will be fascinating to see if he can fight through and continue to play a starring role.