ANN ARBOR, MI — With the 2022 NFL Draft one week away in Las Vegas, Michigan Wolverines edge rusher and Heisman Trophy finalist, Aiden Hutchinson is projected to be the top pick. Or is he?
Hutchinson, a 6’6 265-pound edge rusher that helped lead the Wolverines to their first victory over archrival Ohio State since 2011, a Big Ten championship and the Fed Ex Orange Bowl, is expected by draft experts to be picked No.1 by the rebuilding Jacksonville Jaguars.
While there has been talk that Alabama’s Evan Neal, Georgia’s Travon Walker, and Oregon’s Kavyon Thibedeaux are in consideration, Hutchinson could be the player that gives the Jaguars a new identity on defense.
One year after selecting Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars are in position to make the first pick in the NFL Draft for the second consecutive year thanks to finishing 3-14 under rookie head coach Urban Meyer and interim head coach Darrell Bevell.
After compiling 14.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, 15 tackles for loss and 55 total tackles, Hutchinson earned various awards such as the Ted Hendricks Award for College football’s top defensive end, the Lombardi Award and conference honors such as the Nagurski-Woodson Defensive player of the Year and the Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the year, as well as being named the 2021 Big Ten Football Championship Game MVP.
A unanimous All-American and first-time All-Big Ten member, the kind of impact the 21-year-old Hutchinson will have remains to be seen, but if Jacksonville feels that he can be their new leader on defense, then do not be shocked to hear the name of the Heisman Trophy runner-up called first on Thursday in Vegas.