In this past April's NFL Draft, Michigan saw former Maize and Blue standout linebacker Josh Uche come off the board in the second round at No. 60 overall to the New England Patriots. He was the sixth edge defender to be selected.
It appears the Wolverines have two edge defenders that will have the opportunity to be high-round draft picks in 2021 — junior end Aidan Hutchinson and senior end Kwity Paye.
PFF tabbed both as some of the top prospects at the position, with Hutchinson tabbed as the fourth-best prospect and Paye the No. 6 player in the site's edge defender rankings.
It's worth noting that Hutchinson still has two seasons remaining of eligibility, but it's fair to say he will give the NFL a look in 2021, especially considering the uncertainty surrounding Big Ten football at the moment.
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A third-team All-Big Ten honoree last season, Hutchinson made a name for himself, recording 68 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, six pass breakups, four quarterback hurries, and two forced fumbles on the year.
"We are likely going to be higher on Hutchinson than the NFL will be given the skill sets often coveted highly in the draft," PFF's Michael Renner wrote. "When you see him running out in space like the clip below, you’ll see he’s nowhere near the level of athlete as others on this list.
"However, that’s fine with the way he wins. Similar to Iowa’s A.J. Epenesa last year, Hutchinson’s calling cards are his versatility and the power behind his hands. He can line up in any technique and not look out of place. He’ll also consistently win hand placement and leverage battles with opposing offensive linemen. While that’s not a particularly sexy combination, it’s one that gets the job done in the NFL.
"Hutchinson rarely came off the field for Michigan’s defense. He played 746 snaps a season ago, earning a run-defense grade of 83.6 and a pass-rushing grade of 76.0. He wins with hands, technique and the physicality to never cede an inch at the line of scrimmage. Here he is swatting away first-rounder Tristan Wirfs' hands in a flash for a quick pressure against Iowa:"
Paye made 50 tackles, with 12.5 for loss, 6.5 sacks, three quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery in 2019, helping form the dynamic "Salt and Pepper" defensive end duo with Hutchinson.
"No one on this list had more to gain from the 2020 season than Paye, and, in turn, no player had more to lose by it being canceled," Renner said. "Physically, he has it all — strength, quicks, bend, etc. It’s a special combination that landed him the No. 1 spot on Bruce Feldman’s 2020 Freaks List. Those freaky traits haven’t come close to producing freaky results on the football field, however. As a junior last year — his first season as a starter — Paye earned an 83.4 run-defense grade and 77.8 pass-rushing grade. All too often, his production looked like the plays you can see below.
"There’s little in the way of technique on either of those sacks. That’s Paye simply being too big and quick for the opposing offensive lineman to handle, and a good deal of Paye’s production came from Michigan stunting or spiking their ends. With his size and agility, Paye is a tall task to block slanting off the snap, and it’s a role you’d be crazy not to utilize him in. The fact that he earned quality grades with unrefined moves is encouraging and gets you excited about where he could push his game in the future. The problem is that a lot of similar things were said about former teammate and first-round pick Rashan Gary, and we’ve still yet to see any tangible improvement from him in that regard."
As for his draft outlook, Paye will likely need to showcase more of his skills if he is to be nabbed by a team in the first round, Renner points out.
"With that kind of physical skill set, Paye will still be drafted relatively highly next spring," Renner wrote. "Paye will be a first-round draft pick if he does truly run a 6.37 three-cone — as he reportedly can — though I’d still be hesitant to take him there based on what we’ve seen on film so far. It will be interesting to see if Paye participates in the Senior Bowl, as he needs live reps to up his stock."
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