Draft prospect Aidan Hutchinson thinks he will flourish in the NFL

It’s uncertain who will be the Jacksonville Jaguars’ choice with the first overall pick in the draft but if they select Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, they will be getting a player that isn’t lacking any confidence and instead believes he will thrive in the pros.

Hutchinson recently sat with Mike Florio and Chris Simms of Pro Football Talk and touched on several topics, including his football journey and his thoughts on how he’s going to fare in the pros. When asked what his focus was heading into the NFL, the former Michigan Wolverine said he believes he’s going to “flourish” and sees himself getting a ton of sacks.

"To be honest, I think my game is gonna flourish in the NFL just because I watch a lot of NFL film right. And I see the differences in the game just the way those quarterbacks hold on to that ball, so I look at that, I’m licking my chops. Yeah, you go to college. You get so many RPOs balls out like that and he gets their quarterback right. You hit him and no sack or whatever. Right? So I think when I get to the NFL, I’m gonna light it up and I’m gonna do what I do. And that’s rushing the passer."

There you have it, Hutchinson thinks his dominant play at the collegiate level will carry over into the pros. As a senior, he logged 62 total tackles, 16.5 tackles for a loss, 14 sacks, and two forced fumbles. He’s one of the top collegiate prospects ahead of the 2022 draft and a favorite to land in Jacksonville at number one. In fact, he’s been linked to the Jags in several mock drafts.

Aidan Hutchinson is one of many choices for the Jaguars at No. 1.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN said after Aidan Hutchinson declared for the draft that people around the league believe he “has virtually no risk of being a bust, a clean prospect in every way“. Derrick Klassen of Bleacher Report’s Scouting Department thinks the Michigan native is a good prospect but has many “questions surrounding his flexibility and fluidity in space“.

This isn’t to say Hutchinson won’t get drafted first overall but rather that the Jaguars have their work cut out ahead of the draft and if they want to take him, they need to be confident he will perform better than Oregon defensive end and Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal. Keep in mind that Jacksonville could also trade down three or four spots and still land Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis if they think the gap between the two isn’t that wide.

Still, there’s plenty of time for the Jaguars to do due diligence, and it’s uncertain if there’s a favorite on their draft board at this moment. Unlike last year, when there was a 99.9 chance Trevor Lawrence was going to be their pick. Regardless of who they select, Jacksonville needs to get this one right. They need to land a playmaker with the top pick if they want to turn their fortunes around.