Allen Park – In his first two NFL seasons, Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was one of the best players of his draft class.
However, as he enters his third year, the Lions want him to aim higher.
Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said he wants Hutchinson to “have the goal of being, if not the best defensive player in this league, then one of the best players.”
“Hutch had a great offseason. He had a great training camp,” Glenn said Thursday. “Now it’s time to consider himself the best player (in the league).”
Hutchinson was one of the most productive edge rushers last season, applying the second-most pressures in the league (101). He wasn’t always successful in converting those pressures into sacks — he finished with 11.5 — but that was partly because opposing quarterbacks simply found another lane to break out of, rendering the pressure ineffective.
The players Detroit has lined up around Hutchinson this offseason — particularly defensive end Marcus Davenport and defensive tackle DJ Reader — should help him get there, as should one of the best players to return from last year, defensive tackle Alim McNeill.
“I think we’ve gotten a lot better personnel-wise,” Hutchinson said. “We’ve improved in that regard and a lot of our young players have gotten better – myself and Mac. When you play in the same system for years and have a great D-line coach (Terrell Williams), that’s a recipe for success. When you take all that into account, we’re probably going to be very successful this year.”
“And when DJ comes back, we’ll have a unit out there.”
Glenn said Davenport was exactly the type of player they wanted to face Hutchinson.
“This guy fits right in with the team we see playing on defense, especially when we don’t play Hutch. He’s aggressive, he’s physical, he’s an athletic big man that plays the game the right way,” Glenn said.
“When you have a guy like him who can bull rush and tighten up the pocket, Hutch and the other guys can go for it, and that’s what we expect.”
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