The mock drafts have the Detroit Lions taking Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. It only makes sense as the Lions need help at edge rusher and Hutchinson is a local product that would generate more hope and optimism for the second year under Dan Campbell.
However, the NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah presented an interesting scenario on his conference call with reporters Feb. 25 wherein the Lions prioritize Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton over Hutchinson.
“I think this kid is pretty unique. He’s so tall and long and rangy. The ability to make plays from the deep middle as well as to drop down and play down low and be a physical player, he can erase tight ends. The interception against Florida State is as good as it gets, and I think from a makeup standpoint, I haven’t got all of the background information on him, but when you watch him cover punts as a gunner and see how hard he plays, I think this guy checks all those boxes.
“In a draft like this one where to me Hutchinson is my top player, but after Hutchinson, if Hutchinson is off the board and he goes 1, I would have no issues whatsoever with them taking Kyle Hamilton and saying this is a plug-and-play guy who’s going to give them something they desperately need and that’s somebody who can make a play. In a different draft, and maybe if you had some guys that were different level of grades, you could say, okay, I’ll lean towards the edge rusher positional value. But I think Kyle Hamilton stacks up really well with everybody in this draft.”
If the Lions went with Hamilton, pending the Jacksonville Jaguars took an offensive lineman with the No. 1 overall pick, the Houston Texans would have their choice of Kayvon Thibodeaux and Hutchinson.
Even if the Lions took Hutchinson, Jeremiah unwittingly lays out a fascinating argument for why the Texans should consider Hamilton at No. 3 overall. Although the Reed to Houston experiment in 2013 was a colossal failure, Hamilton to the Texans may give Lovie Smith’s defense its first playmaker.
The Lions have options at No. 2 overall; it isn’t as simple as taking Hutchinson.