*Walt taking 2014 and 2018 |
Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst |
Teams Say Hutchinson Not Bosa-Brother Caliber
Updated Jan. 10, 2022By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.
Late in the college football season, Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson became one of the most discussed players in the country as he helped the Wolverines win their first Big Ten title in decades along with a berth in the college football playoff. Some ESPN draft analysts proclaimed Hutchinson as the best draft prospect for the 2022 NFL Draft, and the media hype made him a finalist for college football’s premier popularity contest, otherwise known as the Heisman Trophy.
With Hutchinson becoming a consensus high first-round projection, WalterFootball.com reached out to five NFL executives to see how Hutchinson’s draft grade compared to other high first-round defensive ends. Hutchinson was not seen as a No. 1-overall talent like Myles Garrett or Jadeveon Clowney, and none of the teams had him grading out as high as Nick Bosa or Joey Bosa. The debate was more on where teams Hutchinson fit in with a group of other top-16 ends like Bradley Chubb and Brian Burns.
“We don’t have him graded as high as the Bosas, Chubb or Burns,” said one NFC player personnel director.
Other NFL executives, however, did have Hutchinson graded higher than Burns.
“To a degree, I definitely think there is too much hype, but that is especially due to the lack of top talent in this draft,” said an NFC director of player personnel. “The Bosa brothers were different animals; Chubb had more juice; Brian Burns was a sexier style of rusher, but Hutchinson is a better run defender than Burns.”
“I don’t think he’s being overhyped because of the lack of top talent in this year’s class,” said an AFC director of player personnel. “With it being a weak class at the top, he gets pushed up, and you can see why.”
“I would say he’s a better overall football player than Brian Burns coming out of Florida State,” said an AFC director of college scouting. “But Hutchinson is not better than the Bosas or Bradley Chubb.”
“I think he’s overhyped,” said a different AFC director of college scouting. “He’s not as good as the Bosa boys, but he is equal to Chubb, in my opinion.”
The 2022 NFL Draft is considered weak for high first-round talent, so Hutchinson could end up getting selected earlier than Nick Bosa – second overall 2019 -, Joey Bosa – third overall 2016 -, Bradley Chubb – fifth overall 2018 -, and Burns – 16th overall 2019 – even though a lot of those players had higher grades in their draft classes.
