Aidan Hutchinson Scouting Report: 2022 NFL Draft Profile

Overview

Aidan Hutchinson 40 time: 4.64

Measurements: 6’6″ 265 lbs.

Aidan Hutchinson is the breakout player of the 2021 college football season. He has 4.5 sacks through his first five games and has been a genuine terror for opposing offenses. There are many experts that are projecting him as a top-10 pick for his elite pass rushing abilities. It’s been an incredible bounceback after playing in just two games in 2020 before suffering a season ending leg fracture. Just this week, he was featured in our weekly Rising Stock column. He has already tied his previous high in sacks in a season, which begs the question: Is this for real? I took a look at Hutchinson’s game against Washington earlier this season.

 

Aidan Hutchinson Strengths

Motor

Aidan Hutchinson has a top notch motor as the guy is constantly moving and creating contact. I saw a run play away from him where the tight end pulled, and even though he was nowhere near the play, he just laid a boom on the tight end and nearly put him on his ass. There is a lot of frenetic energy, but it leads to results.

 

He tries to use speed and rip past the offensive lineman but he gets stopped. Hutchinson then spins back to the inside, dips his shoulder and meets his teammates at the quarterback. The first move doesn’t work, but he just kept coming until he found his way home.

 

Explosion

If you are thinking that the best way to deal with Hutchinson is to not block him at all, stop. Think again. That is not gonna work out well for you, as Washington learned the hard way.

 

Hutchinson very nearly beats the running back to the handoff on this play and does immediately rip the ball away from him in the backfield. So again, let me reiterate, do not ignore Hutchinson. It may have worked for college girls that I tried to pick up. However, ignoring Hutchinson will not lead him to just sadly walking away.

Hutchinson is more quick than fast, so he isn’t going to blow people away with raw athletic ability. He’s not going to beat NFL tackles with straight speed, but he does have a good speed-to-power transition. He can use that explosiveness to get linemen off balance.

 

Power

Speaking of power, it’s my favorite part of Hutchinson’s game. This man generates straight horsepower in his pass rush.

 

He plows straight through the left tackle here before doing a swim move at the end to get to the quarterback and drag him down. This isn’t some bum he’s doing this against. He’s going against All Pac-12 tackle, Jaxson Kirkland, a player that Draft Dive sees as a day two pick. Kirkland’s only positive is that he doesn’t get put on his ass. Sadly, getting forced to take a knee isn’t the most masculine way to end a football play.

When you play with that type of power, it changes the way a lineman operates. This is the very next play.

 

Kirkland is so dead set on not getting beaten by power that all he is thinking about is anchoring his ass. Unfortunately, Hutchinson notices this, does a little windshield wiper to bat away Kirkland’s hands and easily beat him to the inside. Even late help from the guard can’t stop him. The Washington quarterback has no choice but to scramble and throw the ball away.

Two plays later, they had three blockers for Hutchinson. It’s probably not sustainable as a game plan, but it did work for that play.

 

Aidan Hutchinson Weaknesses

Out of Control

I complimented his energy while noting that it could be frenetic. This can cause issues as he will charge forward without any clue where he is really going. This can lead to him taking himself out of plays.

 

He is bound and determined to get past the left tackle on this play. He does, but by the time he does it, he’s about ten yards behind the line of scrimmage. Hutchinson does four rip moves to try to get by, and he actually does a fifth after he is already past the tackle. Hutchinson just keeps ripping that arm like he’s a train engine chugging down the tracks. The determination is great, but the effectiveness leaves a tad to be desired.

 

Aidan Hutchinson Draft Stock

Hutchinson is not a physical marvel like Ohio State has had over the last decade with Chase Young and the Bosa Boys. What I do see is a good athlete with incredible strength and good explosion who can likely be an 8-10 sack guy in the NFL. I think the lack of pure athleticism sees him fall out of the top ten. However, there’s a very good chance he ends up in the middle of round one.

Aidan Hutchinson NFL Comparison: There was a name that is near and dear to my heart that kept coming to mind when watching Hutchinson. Former Hawkeye, AJ Epenesa. Epenesa had an underwhelming rookie year, but he has been making a big impact with the Bills this season. Epenesa has proven valuable by being able to rush from anywhere. With Hutchinson’s abilities, I have no doubt that he could do the same.

Author: Joe Loncarich