Jansen: Lions "run to podium and select Aidan Hutchinson"
In his most recent In the Trenches podcast, Jon Jansen gave his predictions for the top 10 of the upcoming NFL Draft. While things have certainly been trending for Aidan Hutchinson to be the #1 overall selection to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jansen believes the Jags will go back to what most experts expected the Jags to do early in the process.
"They made such a huge investment in their quarterback last year, they've made a giant investment in their team in free agency," Jansen said. "Cam Robinson is going into his second year of being a franchise tag player. I think he wants out of Jacksonville. They want to continue to protect Trevor Lawrence, I think they still go offensive line and take Evan Neal out of Alabama."
Jansen makes a great point, while many draft pundits felt the franchise tag on Cam Robinson made it more likely Jacksonville would select Hutchinson, the truth is Robinson is probably gone next year. Evan Neal who Jansen said is "plug and play" and able to play right tackle next season before potentially moving over to left tackle, was the early favorite in the draft process to go first in the draft. If Jacksonville does decide to go tackle, Jansen says there is no chance Detroit passes on Aidan Hutchinson.
"If Jacksonville goes with any body that's not named Hutchinson, (Detroit) run to the podium and they select Aidan Hutchinson."
It is almost impossible to imagine the Lions passing on the Heisman finalist if he is available. Hutchinson of course is the local product, born in Plymouth and played high school ball at Divine Child in Dearborn before following in his father's footsteps in Ann Arbor. Hutchinson is also a game changer at a position of need for the Lions. For some reason some like to pretend Hutchinson isn't as physically gifted as other edge rushers in this draft. Reality is he one of the most athletic edge rushers in the history of the process.
Hutchinson's intangibles are also off the charts. With the opportunity to leave Michigan after the 2020 season and likely be a 2nd round draft pick, Hutchinson chose to return to Michigan. He was instrumental in the culture turn around in Ann Arbor, the clear leader of the team that went on to win the 2021 Big Ten Championship. With the Detroit Lions in the midst of a culture rebuild of their own, Hutchinson and head coach Dan Campbell just feel like the perfect fit. A fit that fans of both teams are hopeful will come to fruition.
In terms of ideal fits for other Wolverines in the draft, Jansen likes David Ojabo to the Kansas City Chiefs where he can come on slowly recovering from his injury, serving in a third down role before taking the big step in future seasons. Daxton Hill to the Patriots would be "an absolutely perfect fit for him" because of his versatility in their creative defense. When it came to Hassan Haskins Jansen said, "I would love to see him go to Buffalo." A physical runner, Haskins could be a great fit with the Bills. Jansen also called out Vincent Gray to the Tennesee Titans and Andrew Steuber to the Green Bay Packers as ideal fits.
Here is how Jon Jansen predicted the entire top 10 of the NFL Draft playing out;
1. Jacksonville Jaguars: OL Evan Neal, Alabama
2. Detroit Lions: EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan
3. Houston Texans: EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon
4. New York Jets: DB Ahmad Gardner, Cincinatti
5. New York Giants: OL Ikem Ekwonu, NC State
6. Carolina Panthers: QB Kenny Pickett, Pitt
7. New York Giants: EDGE Travon Walker, Georgia
8. Atlanta Falcons: QB Malik Willis, Liberty
9. Seattle Seahawks: OT Charles Cross, Miss State
10. New York Jets: WR Drake London, USC
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