Getty Aidan Hutchinson running drills at the 2022 NFL combine.
With just barely over one week to go until the NFL draft, the Detroit Lions aren’t slowing down a bit in terms of doing their diligence on every single player possible.
Case and point, many have not figured the team to have a shot at drafting Michigan edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson. With Jacksonville picking first, many have contended that Hutchinson will go off the board quick, leaving the Lions to look elsewhere for their next star player on defense while missing out on a potential home-town sensation.
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In spite of that, the Lions brought the local star in for a visit on Tuesday, April 18. As NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero reported on Twitter, the team was using one of their final visits to ensure that they could get a closer look at Hutchinson ahead of the draft.
Michigan edge Aidan Hutchinson is visiting the #Lions today, per source.
Continued due diligence by Detroit on the top prospects, including the one in their backyard.
“Michigan edge Aidan Hutchinson is visiting the Lions today, per source. Continued due diligence by Detroit on the top prospects, including the one in their backyard,” Pelissero tweeted.
For the Lions, getting a closer look at Hutchinson seems elementary at this point. The team has to know they like the Michigan star given his ability to be an elite rusher and also due to his potential local connection. To that end, if Hutchinson is on the board, it could be an easy pick for the team to make when all is said and done.
For now, Hutchinson is just passing through Detroit, but it’s more than possible that in another week, the Allen Park facility he visited could be his new home. That’s likely a major hope for a good majority of the fan base.
Hutchinson Revealed Visit With Social Media Post
It wasn’t just the NFL media talking heads breaking news about Hutchinson making the short trip down the road to Detroit, but the player himself. After he was inside the Lions’ facility, Hutchinson posted a photo reacting to the visit with some eyeball emojis while including a picture of the Detroit practice field. Chris Burke of The Athletic showed Hutchinson’s reaction to being in the building:
Aidan Hutchinson is in the building.
For Hutchinson, just being in the building had to be a thrill. Growing up in Michigan, he may not have been a hard-core Lions fan, but it has to be a good feeling to see the inside of the facility for the local team in town that was always on television. It’s clear based on the emoji reaction that Hutchinson wouldn’t mind joining up with the Lions if that is the outcome next week.
Insider Believes Hutchinson Will Slip to Lions
While many still see Hutchinson as a long-shot to end up on the Lions, the narrative may have changed quickly in recent weeks behind the scenes. While many see offensive line as a huge need in Jacksonville, others believe that the Jaguars may take a chance on Georgia’s Travon Walker with the first pick, a fellow edge rusher that had a very freaky NFL combine in terms of athleticism. Most recently, Peter Schrager of NFL.com and NFL Network revealed in a mock draft on Good Morning Football that he thinks the Lions will end up with Hutchinson, and is basing that prediction off some intelligence he has been collecting in the NFL community recently.
“By this point usually, first-overall, there’s kind of a consensus around the league. When there’s not a consensus around the league and there’s a media favorite, tat tells me the team could be going the other way. If enough people are telling me hey, Trent Baakle likes Travon Walker. I’m going with that. I am going with the take that is not the media thing in pen. I’m going Travon Walker to Jacksonville,” Schrager said on the show.
If Walker goes to the Jaguars, the Lions would likely scoop up Hutchinson with the second-overall pick just like Schrager predicts in his mock. Should that play out, there would likely be a ton of happy Lions fans in the Motor City to land a local favorite who it just so happens made one of his last visits to his hometown team.