Getty Michael Brockers on the field against the Vikings in 2021.
The Detroit Lions expect to have a couple of things along the defensive front in 2022 that were absent last season — a genuine swagger and young pass rusher picked at the top of the NFL draft.
Veteran defensive tackle Michael Brockers put his voice behind No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson and what he sees as a “scary” compilation of youthful talent in Detroit, which bodes well for both the immediate and the sustained future.
“They knew we were coming the whole 60 minutes of the game,” Brockers said of Lions’ opponents in 2021. His comments came during a media session he held at his youth football and cheerleader camp at Dulles High School on Monday, July 11, per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network.
“That’s what I love about being there, and you see it generating that enthusiasm. To be in Detroit, to play in Detroit, to be aligned — you’re seeing it starting with the younger guys,” Brockers continued. “That’s why I’m one of the older guys on the team. We have a team full of younger guys aligning into the system. It’s going to be scary to see us in the future.”
Brockers Sounds Off on Hutchinson
GettyPass rusher Aidan Hutchinson, formerly of the Michigan Wolverines, celebrates a 31-10 win over the Washington Huskies with fans at Michigan Stadium on September 11, 2021 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Brockers went on to single out one youthful member of the Lions’ squad in particular when he spoke glowingly about Hutchinson, who joined the team for the first time this summer.
Part of Brockers’ mandate in Detroit, along with bringing pride and a fearsome attitude to the defensive line, will be to school Hutchinson on what it takes to make it in the NFL.
“He’s a man that’s on a mission,” Brockers said of the rookie pass rusher. “He does everything that he’s supposed to do. You don’t even have to tell him, and this is him doing a lot of his rookie duties. We didn’t even need to ask him, he just did it.”
“This is a man who thinks ahead of time, and you can respect a man like that,” Brockers added. “He has a lot of respect in my book moving forward.”
Brockers Will Line Up Next to Hutchinson on Lions’ Defensive Front
GettyDefensive tackle Michael Brockers of the Detroit Lions gives a thumbs up after being treated for an injury on the field by team trainers during the second quarter of a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 26, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Brockers is currently listed as the starting right tackle on Detroit’s defensive line, where he will line up directly alongside Hutchinson. If each plays up to his potential in 2022, opposing teams might consider running a few more plays to the left.
Despite a disparity in age, Brockers and Hutchinson have a decent amount in common. Brockers was a first-round selection in his own right, drafted No. 14 overall by the Los Angeles Rams (then the St. Louis Rams) in 2012.
The lineman is entering his 11th NFL season this year. He has appeared in 154 regular season games over that span and started 152 of them. Brockers has tallied 447 tackles, including 52 for loss, 63 quarterback hits, 29 sacks, nine passes defensed and two forced fumbles throughout his career, per Pro Football Reference.
Brockers is entering the second year of a three-year contract with the Lions worth $24 million and represents a salary cap hit just shy of $9 million in 2022, per Spotrac.