Prospect Scouting Profile – Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan
The draft is just weeks away and I'm continuing my prospect scouting profile series. These are information-packed breakdowns that you don’t want to miss.
Player Introduction
Aidan Hutchinson was a three-year starter for one of the best teams in the country last season, the Michigan Wolverines, who he helped lead to College Football Playoffs, this season. He’s a big athletic defensive end who can shut down the run and rush the passer as good as anyone in the country. Hutchinson is regarded as one of if not the best defensive player in this draft class, and is being projected by some as the number one overall selection of the 2022 NFL Draft. It’s hard to argue that logic, but let's take a close look at this stud and see just how good he is.
Combine Measurables
Height – 6’7”
Hands – 10¼”
Weight – 260 LBS
Arms – 32⅛”
Wing Span – NA
Vertical - 36”
Broad Jump - 117”
Speed – 4.74 sec
3-Cone Drill- 6.73 sec
20-yd Shuttle - 4.15 sec
Ametuer Notes & Accloades
Hutchinson was born on August 9th, 2000 in Plymouth, Michigan. on of former Michigan captain and defensive tackle/outside linebacker Chris Hutchinson (1989-92), who won team MVP in his final season and was coached by Greg Mattison in his final season; Chris ranks 14th on the Michigan career tackles for loss list. Aidan played at Divine Child High School, where he was a four-star recruit and unanimously rated as the number one player in the state of Michigan during the 2018 recruiting cycle. Hutchinson chose the Wolverines over schools such as Wisconsin, Michigan State, LSU, Nebraska, Boston College, and Wyoming. The chance to follow in his father's footsteps and play for his home state team was his dream.
At Divine Child, Hutchinson helped lead the team to back-to-back Catholic League titles (2016-17) posting a 10-3 mark as a junior and an 11-2 record as a senior. Over those two seasons, Hutchinson recorded 133 tackles, 38 TFLs, 15 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one blocked kick. He would be named to the 2017 All-Catholic League (AA) Team and selected to the 2017 Detroit Free Press All-State Dream Team. He was selected to participate in the 2018 U.S. Army All-American Game, where he recorded four tackles, 2½ TFLs, and two sacks.
As a freshman with the Wolverines, Hutchinson’s primary role was as a backup and on special teams. He played in all 13 games and tallied 15 total tackles, with five being solos, and 1½ TFLs. Everything would change for Hutchinson during his sophomore campaign, as he would become a full-time starter. He played and started all 13 games for Michigan, and would register 68 total tackles, with 34 being solos, ten TFLs, 4½ sacks, two forced fumbles, and six PBUs.
With high expectations for Hutchinson, his junior season didn’t quite go as planned. He would play and start only three games before his season was cut short due to an ankle injury. In the three games, he did participate in, Hutchinson was able to produce 15 total tackles, with nine being solos. While his season may have ended, his career was just taking off.
As a senior Hutchinson would dominate college football at an elite level. He would play and start all 14 games while having one the best seasons of any defensive player. Hutchinson would record 62 total tackles, with 36 being solos, 16½ TFLs, 14 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and three PBUs. His 14 sacks would set a school record, which was previously held by both David Bowens (1996) and LaMarr Woodley (2006), who each had 12. Hutchinson would performance on the season would earn him consensus All-American honors and a 2nd place finish in the Heisman voting.
Career Stats
Games – 43
Starts – 30
Tackles – 160
Solos – 84
TFLs – 28
Sacks – 18½
Interceptions - 0
PBUs – 9
FF – 4
Fumble Recoveries - 1
Scouting Report
Positives
Hutchinson has the complete package of physical traits, skills, and character that will have the NFL drooling over. He possesses a big frame with top-end strength and power and was known as a weight room legend at Michigan. Hutchinson has a quick lateral reaction and flexibility to move along the line of scrimmage as needed. All these traits allow him to see the edge and anchor down as well as anyone in this draft class. He’s a tough physical player that is super intelligent, knowing when and how to use his power and strength. Hutchinson is scheme flexible and will be a valuable piece that can play in multiple techniques along the defensive line. He will excel as a 4-3 defensive end, which I feel he’s best suited to play.
Speaking of his versatility, Hutchinson is one of the more complete defensive prospects in this draft. He can not only set the edge and hold his own against the run, but he is also a terrific pass rusher as well. He set the school season record for sacks last season at Michigan, as he dominated his opponents each and every week. Hutchinson has a very good burst and acceleration, combined with his strength, which makes his speed-to-power combination just unreal. He plays with a high motor and doesn’t take plays off. Hutchinson has good hand placement and with his size, strength, and quickness he does a great job of pressing and shedding off blocks. Elite lower body strength allows him to anchor and hold the point of attack with regularity.
Negatives
They are tons to love about Hutchinson, but no prospect is absolutely perfect. While he has good athletic traits, his movements seem methodical and deliberate at times, instead of easy and free-flowing. I would like to see his run defense match the level of his pass rush, which would really take his game to the next level. He’s not bad at stopping the run by any means, but there is significant room for growth in that area. Hutchinson has a just a little shorter arm length than you would like, but it hasn’t been a major issue to this point. Still, he could struggle some with long-armed offensive linemen. Hutchinson also plays too upright at times which can be corrected with some proper coaching.
A terrific pass rusher, but he does need to add a couple of weapons to his arsenal and develop a couple of counter moves. I don’t expect this to be a big issue at the next level as they will get him coached up and tweak his game for the pros. Could be close to being maxed out in pure muscle mass or little room for growth in that area. It’s worth noting that he missed all but three games of his junior season with an ankle injury, but that is clearly behind him after last season's domination. Hutchinson has good but not great speed, so his pursuit is based more on pure hustle and high motor than actual speed metrics. Hutchinson is not the best in coverage but not horrible either. With that said, that’s not what you’re drafting him to do
Pre-Draft Analysis
Draft Projection – 1st round / Top 5 pick
Expected Role – Pro Bowl-caliber player
Fantasy Draft Projection - 2nd round (mid to late)
Fantasy Impact
We see it every year, fantasy managers swoon and drool over the top draft prospects (offense or defense) of every draft class, driving their fantasy value through the roof. We have also seen in recent fantasy drafts of the past few years, prospects such as Micah Parsons, Chase Young, and Devin White, getting drafted in the 1st round. Hutchinson isn’t that type of player to be drafting that early. With that said, if you are planning on drafting him, you need to expect and be prepared to spend at least a 2nd round pick on him. For me, I would feel the most comfortable using late 2nd to early 3rd round draft capital on Hutchinson. I feel that’s a solid value for a player of his caliber and will give you better returns on your investment.
Hutchinson is going to be a week one starter, but make sure to keep your expectations reasonable. Will he receive enough valuable reps to be a viable fantasy option for my teams? Yes! Will he provide me with a decent amount of sacks? Yes! Can I rely on Hutchinson as a weekly start each week as a rookie? Maybe! Yeah, he will have some games where he looks like a world-beater, but he will also have some clunkers. It’s all about staying realistic and keeping your expectations in check. If you can do that and not overpay, then Hutchinson is an excellent dynasty option that you should look to add to your IDP portfolios.
Summary
Hutchinson is easily one of the top defensive players in this draft class. He has the versatility to play in any scheme and multiple fronts techniques. He’ll be a nice chess piece for whichever team selects him on draft day. Hutchinson will provide an immediate impact as a pass rusher and will be a starter coming week one. Is he being overhyped? Hard not to when you see him play with a blazing hot motor, violent hands, and speed to power combination. Are there things that he needs to work on or correct? Sure, but they're not unfixable or will keep him from being an impact player. NFL teams will do their homework thoroughly and at the end of the day, I expect Hutchinson to be selected in the top three picks of this year’s draft.
Thanks for reading my article. I am a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers of America). Follow me on Twitter at @HollywoodTitan, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub — I’m user KingTitan1 — and tune in each week and listen to IDP Nation and Devy IDP Grind, the podcasts that I co-host, on several different platforms. Feel free to hit me up with any questions that you have, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy.
