Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson officially became a Detroit Lion on April 28 when he was taken with the number two overall pick by the Allen Park, Michigan based team, ten picks before Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams, who was recently praised by the team’s head coach Dan Campbell.
Hutchinson, a 6-foot-6, 265 pound defensive end and Heisman Trophy runner-up, had 14 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss last season for the Wolverines, and figures to become a mainstay on the Lions’ defensive line for years to come.
The most highly-touted Lions draft pick in years, Hutchinson received advice from another former Lions prodigy recently on what to expect and how to prepare for his rookie season: Matthew Stafford, the Super Bowl winning QB for the Los Angeles Rams and former number one overall draft pick himself.
“I Grew Up Watching Matthew Stafford…It Wasn’t Easy Being a Lions Fan”
Hutchinson and Stafford met up at a public event recently for a joint interview with host Mackenzie Salmon.
According to Hutchinson, who grew up in the Plymouth, Michigan area, a suburb of Detroit, and attended high school at Dearborn Divine Child just outside of Detroit, it was his first time meeting the former Lions superstar.
“I grew up watching Matt Stafford,” Hutchinson said, adding that he was born in 2000, just nine years apart from when Stafford was drafted number one overall by Detroit in 2009.
“Yeah, it makes me feel old,” Stafford replied.
Hutchinson also said that it “wasn’t easy being a Lions fan growing up,” saying that he went through some “tough times.”
He added he was a Tom Brady and New England Patriots fan as well as a Lions fan.
“He was a Michigan guy and that’s why I’ve always loved him, Hutchinson added about Brady.
“So maybe one day in the future I’ll get to sack him on the field.”
Stafford also spoke about the Rams’ chances to repeat as Super Bowl champions in 2022-2023, saying that the Rams roster looks good on paper but the games are played on the field, just part of why he loves his job so much.
Stafford also offered advice for the Lions rookie toward the end of the video, telling Hutchinson to “embrace everything, the good and the bad” among other pieces of advice.
So, what do you think?
Will Hutchinson pan out the same way Stafford did, and can he do something Stafford didn’t — namely, can he lead the Lions to an NFL playoff victory?
