2022 NFL scouting report on Michigan Football’s Aidan Hutchinson

With the 2022 NFL draft set for Thursday night, here’s a look at what NFL teams will be getting if they select Michigan football’s Aidan Hutchinson.

A projected top-two overall pick, Aidan Hutchinson found tremendous success at Michigan in his senior season, recording a school-record 14 sacks, including three against arch-rival Ohio State. He is also the son of a former Wolverine, Chris Hutchinson. Does Aidan have what it takes to succeed at the NFL level? Here’s a look at his scouting report.

Profile

Position: Defensive end/linebacker hybrid

School: Michigan

Current Year: Senior (entered 2022 NFL Draft)

Height: 6’7

Weight: 260 pounds

Positives:

• Is comfortable and is able to stand up and rush the passer from the left or right side of the line from the wide 9-technique
• Does well with initial leg drive to gain ground and push tackles to make them uncomfortable and get them out of position off the snap
• Knows how to use angles to his advantage when going against o-lineman
• Has a second gear and is able to accelerate around the edge with burst and explosiveness
• Has an entire bag of hand counters, including his four favorites the dip and rip, and the inside swim move, and the hard jab
• Persistent in attacking opposing o-lineman’s weak spots like the wrist area or the elbow to break the grasp of o-linemen
• Tremendous at converting speed to power with a bull rush or a one-arm (long-arm) move to push opposing lineman into quarterback’s pocket
• Constantly wins at first contact, as he gets his hands on the lineman’s chest first before the opposite can happen, therefore gaining leverage
• Has a tremendous punch that engages opposing o-lineman that is hard to get out of
• Motor is constant, never takes a play off
• Great football IQ, knows when to be patient on play-action passes, and read options, and when to stay contained on screen passes
• Very good run defender as play recognition is great and is quick to fire off the ball and get into the pile for a tackle
• Very active in communication on pre-snap processing

Negatives

• Length is a little bit of a concern as 33 1/2 inch arms are very short
• Can sometimes be too quick to commit, sometimes leaving production on the field
• Doesn’t always wrap up when taking down an opposing player, which has led to sheds from opposing QBs and running backs
• Doesn’t have elite speed so can’t win with speed, will have to win with power most of the time
• Doesn’t have great bend, as Aidan can get turned around and pulled out of position when trying to use a pass rush move
• Can’t really cover in space, so Aidan being asked to drop back in coverage would make him a liability on the field as he lacks elite lateral speed and has short arms
• Short arms make it hard to get around tackles that hold and grab
• Because so much of his quickness comes from anticipating the snap, he can occasionally pick up an offsides penalty for getting a little bit too antsy

Overview

Overall, Aidan Hutchinson is a very, very good NFL prospect, with the ability to become elite almost right away. In a 2022 draft class full of unknowns and questions, Aidan is probably the safest option in the draft.

Aidan can do everything from rush the passer with an entire bag of tricks, to run-stopping, he has great football IQ and can diagnose plays very quickly, he communicates well with teammates, he has a constant motor, and uses angles to his advantage like few others know how to do.

He doesn’t have any major red flags, aside from arm length (which is pretty overblown), but the one thing he can work on is getting a little more flexible at the next level. Tackles with longer arms have given him a little bit of an issue in the past, as he needs to be the one to engage the blocker first to gain leverage.

People also questioned why he only went off his senior year, but edge rushers typically take three years to become consistent in college, and in 2020, Aidan tore broke his leg in a season that was a crapshoot anyway. Overall, we’ve seen Hutchinson get better and better every year and earn more snaps every year.

Aidan Hutchinson is a winner at the college level with the stats to back it up, and also the combine numbers. He may not have the highest ceiling of the other edge rushers, but he has the highest floor and is the most polished edge rusher in the draft class. He will contribute immediately from Day 1.

His NFL comparisons are a combination of “Mad” Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders for his constant motor and ability to utilize angles to his advantage, and Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers for his ability to dominate with his shorter arms and his similar combine numbers.

I expect Aidan Hutchinson to go top-2 overall to either the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Detroit Lions on Thursday, and he will be a double-digit sack player for many years. I see many pro-bowls and All-Pro awards in his future. Be on the lookout for him as a potential Rookie of the Year candidate too. Looking forward to it. Go Blue!