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We are just a day away from the NFL Draft and the latest mock drafts from around the country no longer like Michigan Wolverines prospect Aidan Hutchinson to go No. 1 overall. Several experts across the country see a slight slip for the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy last season.
With a day to go until it all kicks off, and ample time for things to be shaken up again, let’s take a look at where Hutchinson and other Wolverines are expected to be drafted in the media’s eyes:
NBC Sports’ Peter King: No. 2 overall (DET), DE Aidan Hutchinson
“A real Dan Campbell player,” one NFL GM told me about the steadiest player in this draft. Campbell got a lot of people to chuckle when he talked about wanting players who want to bite kneecaps. It was his way of saying he wants guys who love football, who don’t take off plays, who won’t allow the Lions to be downtrodden anymore. Ask scouts about Hutchinson and they’ll tell you that’s how he played every one of his 43 career games in Ann Arbor.
“Hutchinson is a different cat. He’s been journaling—hand-writing, not typing—since he was 4. Some days he writes what he wants to be, he told me. “Just telling myself that I’m limitless,” he said. “I have an infinite mindset. I have no boundaries. There’s no mountain that I can’t reach. That’s how I view myself and me playing football.” Tell me Dan Campbell’s not going to froth at the mouth if GM Brad Holmes has the chance to draft this 6-6, 260-pound 10-year starter.”
No. 27 overall (TAM), EDGE David Ojabo
“Ojabo tore his Achilles at the Michigan Pro Day and likely will not play football in 2022. Before the injury, he was considered a prospect to go somewhere between seven and 15. I don’t know that he’ll get picked in the first, but I do know four teams are intently interested in him. One is having some significant medical tests done on him in the next two days, to see how his recovery is progressing and to judge whether he can play maybe very late this season or, if not, how healthy he will be a year from now.
Ojabo was the complement to Aidan Hutchinson on the Michigan defensive front, and his will and tenacity are much admired. If you’re the Bucs, you might not need the edge play of Ojabo this year. But with veteran rusher Shaq Barrett due to be 31 next year and the unsigned Jason Pierre Paul likely a one-year play this year if that, a duo of Ojabo and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka for the future is something the Bucs would love to have going forward.”
CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson: No. 2 overall (DET), DE Aidan Hutchinson
“Hutchinson starred at Michigan and now he moves a few miles down the road to join the Lions. He’s the best player in this class and talk that he has already reached his ceiling is just that. He’s 21 and he’s only going to get better.”
No. 23 overall (ARI), EDGE David Ojabo
“Ojabo tore his Achilles at his pro day in March and that will undoubtedly affect his draft stock. But he is a terror off the edge and he’s only been playing football for five years. He’s a high-upside prospect who could see the field late in his rookie campaign.”
No. 25 overall (BUF), S Daxton Hill
“This has been a popular pick for us over the months because of Hill’s versatility. He’s underrated nationally but watch him play and it becomes clear pretty quickly that he’s in the running for one of the best defensive backs in this class. He’s listed as a safety but he can line up anywhere”
Todd McShay’s Final Prospect Ranking: No. 1 overall, DE Aidan Hutchinson
“Hutchinson’s combination of explosiveness on contact, agility, power and relentlessness makes him special. He’s the most technically efficient pass-rusher in the class, syncing his feet and hands exceptionally well, and he always has a pass-rush plan. His inside move is fantastic, and he knows how to work the edges of offensive tackles. He’s a tone-setter and a plug-and-play high-level starter as a rookie.”
No. 18 overall, S Daxton Hill
“Hill shows great range as a single-high safety, and he’s also adept in man-to-man coverage against slot receivers. He is extremely smooth in his pedal, he plants-and-drives on a dime, and he has fluid hips and great closing burst to turn and run vertically with ease. The biggest knock on his game is that he lacks short-area power to consistently separate the ball from the receiver on contested catches. Hill consistently gets an early break on the ball when reading quarterbacks’ eyes as a single-high, and he’s also very effective reading receivers’ breaks from the trail position. He’s not always a wrap-up tackler in space, but he has outstanding range and takes very good angles in support.”
No. 35 overall, OLB David Ojabo
“Ojabo suffered an Achilles injury during Michigan’s pro day. He’s extremely sudden with excellent speed, displaying one of the fastest get-offs of the edge rushers in this class. He has snap in his hands and continues to improve his hand-to-hand combat skills. He runs a tight loop and has very little wasted movement when turning the corner. Ojabo also has excellent closing burst. As far as coverage is concerned, Ojabo can hold up in spot-drop duty. And against the run, he plays with discipline and does a good job keeping outside containment.”
No. 156 overall, RB Hassan Haskins
No. 196, OG Andrew Stueber
No. 238, DT Christopher Hinton
No. 260, S Brad Hawkins
No. 288, CB Vincent Gray
No. 295, LB Josh Ross
PFF’s Austin Gayle: No. 2 overall (DET), DE Aidan Hutchinson
“Hutchinson is PFF’s No. 1 overall player in the 2022 NFL Draft class and the No. 1 overall player on The Athletic consensus board. The 6-foot-7, 260-pound Michigan native is a sprint-the-card-in type for Dan Campbell and the Lions if Baalke balks in the first 10 minutes of Round 1. “
No. 28 overall (GB), S Daxton Hill
“Hill is one of the best safety prospects in this class and can immediately slot in as either a slot corner or free safety in Green Bay’s defense. He is a wildly explosive player who ran a 1.47-second 10-yard split and 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, ranking in the 97th and 95 percentile, respectively. He also clocked a 97th percentile three-cone time at 6.57 seconds and an 87th percentile short shuttle (4.06s).
“Adding Smith and Hill, Green Bay avoids wide receiver altogether in this scenario, which can’t be ruled out, given the team’s history in how they’ve avoided the position in Round 1 in previous years. No amount of need should have general manager Brian Gutekunst changing his stripes, especially if the consensus top-five receivers are all already off the board by his first pick at No. 22.”
NFL Network’s Chad Reuter: No. 1 overall (JAX), DE Aidan Hutchinson
“We’re less than a week away from the draft, and we still really don’t know who will be the No. 1 overall pick. If the Jags go edge rusher, I’ll stick with a proven commodity like Hutchinson over the exceptional athleticism and potential of Travon Walker. Hutchinson is the defensive equivalent of former No. 1 overall pick (and fellow Michigan alum) Jake Long: solid, intelligent and reliable. You can add explosive and relentless to Hutchinson’s long list of traits, as well.”
No. 26 overall (KC), S Daxton Hill
“Hill was called a safety at Michigan, but he has corner speed and change-of-direction skills. The Chiefs really need bodies on the outside, so Hill could play on the perimeter to start and potentially move around to nickel or safety depending on the formation or how the team uses its later selections. The Chiefs send the 30th overall pick and a third-rounder (No. 94) to the Titans, who return a fifth-round choice (No. 169) to balance the trade equation.”
No. 53 overall (GB), EDGE David Ojabo
No. 217 overall (DET), DT Christopher Hinton
No. 245 overall (NE), OT Andrew Stueber
ESPN’s Matt Miller: No. 2 overall (DET), DE Aidan Hutchinson
“The Lions are in a great position to simply draft whichever top defensive end the Jaguars don’t take. They just so happen to get lucky enough — much like last year when offensive tackle Penei Sewell fell to them at No. 7 — that the player falling is their likely top target. Hutchinson’s production, top-tier testing numbers during the pre-draft process, relentless pass-rushing style, and local roots make him an ideal pick for coach Dan Campbell’s team.”
No. 18 overall (PHI), S Daxton Hill
“Linebacker was a consideration here, but the Eagles’ secondary also needs attention. Michigan’s Daxton Hill has the instincts and physical ability to potentially play cornerback, nickel safety or free safety depending on the need. His 4.3-second speed and coverage skills shown on tape are a perfect match for a leaky Philadelphia secondary.”
No. 41 overall (SEA), DE David Ojabo
“Were it not for an Achilles injury suffered at the Michigan pro day, Ojabo would have been a likely top-12 pick. The Seahawks could bet on his value and Achilles injuries being a faster turnaround than they used to be. His skill set as a speedy outside rusher is ideal for Seattle’s scheme.”