2022 NFL Mock Draft: Buccaneers replace Tom Brady with sleeper QB
By Randy Gurzi
50. Scouting Report. Michigan. Aidan Hutchinson. 2. player. Pick Analysis. EDGE
2. Detroit Lions: Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan
There was no shortage of opinions when Dan Campbell was hired as the head coach of the Detroit Lions. Campbell had some impressive experience working with Sean Payton as the assistant head coach and tight ends coach from 2016 through 2020 with the New Orleans Saints.
But if you thought he would be a carbon copy of Payton, you were mistaken. Campbell came in and had some very quotable lines during his first press conference, some of which led to plenty of jokes. Then again, it’s hard not to start laughing some when a head coach says he wants his players to bite knee caps.
Campbell came across as an old-school coach but what mattered most was that his team seemed to buy into what he was selling. The Lions were a terrible roster and they finished 3-13-1. However, they took several teams down to the wire which gives them some hope that they can be better in 2022.
The first step toward making that happen will be fixing this roster. Like the aforementioned Jaguars, Detroit can take someone from just about any position since they have needs everywhere. That means they can go with their best player available and it’s likely Aidan Hutchinson enters the draft as the top guy on their board.
Hutchinson returned for one more season despite being a highly sought-after prospect in 2020. Doing so shot him up the boards and he fits Campbell’s defense perfectly.