Michigan Football: 5 Wolverines who will break out on defense

Aidan Hutchinson

Hutchinson was the Wolverines top recruit in the 2018 class and he was able to get on the field early for Michigan football at defensive end. Hutchinson, who is 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds showed toughness early as a freshman and looks to be a big part of the rotation in 2019.

Both Paye and Uche will likely start on the edge ahead of Hutchinson but that doesn’t mean he won’t play a huge role on the defense. When it comes to Gary, he was dominating against the run but sometimes didn’t get home as a pass rusher.

Hutchinson may be that same kind of player. He didn’t show an electrifying first step off the edge or anything and managed just one tackle for loss along with 12 total stops and no sacks. However, he can set the edge better than any defensive end on the roster and in the Big Ten, that’s valuable.

His pass rush ability will develop too. And who knows, if he bulks up a little more, he could even contribute as an interior rusher. It might seem strange to call a guy that probably won’t start a breakout candidate, but in terms of run defense and depth up front, Hutchinson is going to be essential and his presence will be felt on this defense right away next season.