Hutchinson, Paye Both Make PFF's List Of The Top 2021 NFL Draft Prospects
Pro Football Focus (PFF) recently released its list of the top 50 prospects heading into the 2021 NFL Draft, and two Michigan Wolverines football players made the cut — junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and senior defensive end Kwity Paye.
The former checked in at No. 37 overall on the outlet's list, while the latter slotted in just two spots later at No. 39.
The fact that both players made PFF's initial 2021 big board shouldn't come as a surprise, especially when considering Paye could have left U-M early following last season and been a fairly high selection in this past April's NFL Draft.
Hutchinson, meanwhile, is seems to still be scratching the surface of his potential, racking up 10 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 2019 as a sophomore in what was his first season as a starter.
"Hutchinson holds the crown of being the only defender to give [former Hawkeye offensive tackle] Tristan Wirfs fits last season when he racked up seven pressures against Iowa," PFF wrote, referencing the Maize and Blue's defensive clinic in its 10-3 win on Oct. 5 (held the Hawkeyes to one rushing yard and picked off three of their passes).
"The rising junior's versatile body allows him to also kick inside and still produce."
Paye, on the other hand, posted slightly better statistics than Hutchinson in 2019, registering 12.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and 6.5 sacks. With the league having lost several of its best defensive ends following last season (Iowa's A.J. Epenesa, Penn State's Yetur Gross-Matos, Ohio State's Chase Young, etc.), Hutchinson and Paye are viewed by many as the top end tandem in the conference heading into 2020.
"The No. 1 freak on [TheAthletic.com college football writer] Bruce Feldman's list, Paye is only scratching the surface of what he could become," PFF explained. "With no polished pass-rushing moves to speak of, he still earned a 77.8 [64 is considered average by the outlet] pass-rushing grade in 2019."
Feldman said he views Paye as the most athletic 'freak' in college football because of some outstanding drill testing times the senior has recorded in the past, most notably in the three-cone drill (6.37 seconds), 40-yard dash (4.57 seconds), vertical jump (34 inches) and 60-yard shuttle (11.3 seconds).
Hutchinson and Paye were just two of 12 Big Ten players who made PFF's initial 2021 NFL Draft big board, with Ohio State junior quarterback Justin Fields (No. 2), Penn State junior linebacker Micah Parsons (No. 5), Purdue redshirt sophomore wideout Rondale Moore (No. 7), Minnesota junior receiver Rashod Bateman (No. 20), Ohio State redshirt junior cornerback Shaun Wade (No. 22), Ohio State redshirt junior right guard Wyatt Davis (No. 25), Penn State junior tight end Pat Freiermuth (No. 30), Ohio State junior wideout Chris Olave (No. 40), Iowa redshirt sophomore center Tyler Linderbaum (No. 48) and Penn State redshirt sophomore defensive end Jayson Oweh (No. 49) being the other 10.
It's important to note that PFF's list only takes into account draft-eligible players come April of 2021, so in other words, any athlete who is a redshirt sophomore or older during the 2020 campaign fits the bill.
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