Detroit Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew couldn't hide the smile on his face when asked this week about rookie pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson and the training camp performance he had in Detroit.
"I can't stop smiling," Agnew admitted. "I love the kid, the kid's relentless, effort, and much better athlete than you thought he was in the draft process. Man, the things he can do rushing the passer, inside, off the edge, using his hands. He's very creative as a rusher. I would just say this, we got the right one."
To which general manager Brad Holmes quickly chimed in.
"Absolutely," Holmes said during the joint press conference the two Lions front office leaders had this week.
When Jacksonville drafted Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker No. 1 overall in this year's NFL Draft, Holmes couldn't turn Detroit's draft card in fast enough with Hutchinson's name on it.
Hutchinson has been terrific all through training camp, and he's expected to play a huge role in transforming a pass rush that recorded the third fewest sacks in the NFL a year ago. Hutchinson can play anywhere across the defensive line, and the Lions have been featuring their NASCAR package, where Hutchinson shifts inside to the three technique and becomes an interior rusher, quite a bit in camp. It allows them to put more of their best pass rushers on the field at the same time.
Holmes and Agnew knew Hutchinson was going to be an immediate impact player, but he's even exceeded their expectations to begin his Lions career.
"With Aidan, we pretty much knew that he was a high floor player," Holmes said. "But that also comes as a question mark when it comes to draft sometimes, because it's like, 'Oh, well what's his upside? Is it –?'
"But there were a lot of things that we knew that he could get better at, and so him having the immediate impact that he's had so far, again, he hasn't played a regular season NFL game yet, but since he stepped out there on the grass, he made it known pretty quickly that he was about business. And there are some things that he's shown that I think some people didn't even know that he had."
View photos from Detroit Lions practice on Thursday, September 1, 2022.
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back D'Andre Swift (32) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson (97) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Tracy Walker (21) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah (1) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow (77) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Saivion Smith (19), Detroit Lions wide receiver Josh Reynolds (8) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (44), Detroit Lions running back Jamaal Williams (30) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Charles Harris (53) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (44) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond (11) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Craig Reynolds (46) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Mike Hughes (23), Detroit Lions wide receiver DJ Chark (4) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Mike Hughes (23), Detroit Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah (1) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs (98) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Benito Jones (94) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions punter Jack Fox (3), Detroit Lions kicker Austin Seibert (19) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Benito Jones (94) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (44) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Nate Sudfeld (12) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (44) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Josh Woods (51) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah (1) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Tracy Walker (21) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Charles Harris (53) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (44) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver DJ Chark (4), Detroit Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah (1) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver DJ Chark (4), Detroit Lions cornerback Mike Hughes (23) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Jamaal Williams (30) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Julian Okwara (99) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond (11) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Josh Reynolds (8) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Brock Wright (89) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Shane Zylstra (84) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Nate Sudfeld (12) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Justin Jackson (42) Detroit Lions linebacker Josh Woods (51), during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Derrick Deese Jr. (48) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker James Houston (59) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Tom Kennedy (85) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Jarrad Davis (40) during practice at the Lions Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on September 1, 2022. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Those things include his advanced tool box of pass-rush moves, his attention to detail when it comes to technique, and like Agnew said, he's even exceeded Detroit's expectations with the athleticism and versatility he's shown.
Hutchinson is a rookie, so there's still a lot of room for improvement, but it's safe to say the excitement level for what he can bring to the Lions' defense is sky high as the team prepares for their Week 1 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles at Ford Field next Sunday.
