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At the Heisman Trophy ceremony on Saturday, Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh proclaimed that finalist, consensus All-American, Big Ten Championship Game MVP, and team captain Aidan Hutchinson would be the first pick overall in the 2022 NFL draft. It turns out that ESPN draft guru Todd McShay agrees.
In his latest mock draft ($), that’s precisely what McShay predicts. With the Detroit Lions having the inside track to that No. 1 draft choice, ESPN is saying that Hutchinson won’t even have to move to start his NFL career.
1. Detroit Lions (1-11-1)
Aidan Hutchinson, DE, MichiganThe Lions are a one-win team for a reason and have holes all over the place. The biggest concern long term, of course, falls at quarterback — Jared Goff joins four rookies at the bottom of Total OBR this season –but there isn’t one in this class worthy of the top pick. And you aren’t taking a receiver or cornerback here, also glaring issues. Detroit has another pick later on Day 1 to address one of those problems.
Instead, the Lions need to take the best player available, and right now, that’s Hutchinson. The production speaks for itself: He has 14.0 sacks, 73 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and a pair of forced fumbles, and he tends to play at his best in the biggest spots. Detroit is in the bottom five in yards allowed per play (5.9), points allowed per game (27.2) and sacks (20), and while Romeo Okwara, Julian Okwara, Trey Flowers and a host of others can be impact players, Hutchinson could be the guy on the edge for the Lions.
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But that’s not the only Michigan football player that McShay predicts will go in the top 10 in 2022.
While Hutchinson’s compatriot in fellow edge rusher David Ojabo still has yet to make a decision of whether or not he will return for his fourth year or leave Michigan early, McShay has offered him a compelling reason to be an early entrant. In the same mock draft, he has Ojabo going at No. 10 overall — which, certainly would make leaving a no-brainer for the talented edge rusher.
Projecting him to the Eagles, Ojabo could be the heir apparent to the aging former Michigan defensive end who’s already on the roster in Philadelphia.
10. Philadelphia Eagles (via 6-7 MIA)
David Ojabo, DE, Michigan*Philly jump-starts its three-pick Round 1 party with an explosive pass-rusher. Ojabo’s first step is lightning fast, and he closes on the QB extremely well — his 11.0 sacks and 14 tackles for loss this season prove it. Brandon Graham will be 34 years old and returning from an Achilles injury next season, and only two teams have fewer sacks this year than the Eagles’ 21. And while they would love see Hamilton fall to them, the Eagles get a defensive upgrade with Ojabo. Michigan has had multiple first-round defenders only three times (1972, 2017 and 2019), but here it sends two to the top 10.
Quarterback is obviously a question mark, too. If the Eagles decide to move on from Jalen Hurts, they could deal some of their first-round picks to upgrade. But I can’t see them gambling on a weak crop of QB prospects if they can’t solve the issue by trade or free agency.
Either or both could cement (or tank) these projected draft numbers in a few weeks, when Michigan takes on Georgia in the College Football Playoff semi-final in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 31.
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