Dominic Raiola hasn’t spent the past few months poring over draft guides, watching hours of tape or parsing results from the NFL combine. So he doesn’t pretend to be an expert on Aidan Hutchinson, the former Michigan football star selected last week by the Detroit Lions with the No. 2 overall pick.
But from what Raiola has seen, Hutchinson sure resembles the man who was once his rookie roommate, who spent 2001-12 crouched two spots down from him on Detroit’s offensive line, who did everything he could to help stabilize an organization that struggled to find its balance. As Raiola sees it, Hutchinson reminds him of Jeff Backus, the former Michigan left tackle who anchored the Lions’ offensive line until he retired in March 2013.
“Jeff was a local hero,” Raiola told the Free Press. “He was tough. He was a grinder. And he was really good.”
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Twenty-one years ago, Backus stood in a similar place as Hutchinson. He had just finished a scintillating career in Ann Arbor, where he was a perennial All-Big Ten selection and a cornerstone of the Wolverines’ 1997 national championship team. U-M lost only eight games during the four years Backus started, remaining a fixture in the top half of both polls.
Just down the road, the Lions plodded away, posting one unspectacular record after another. Searching for new energy following the 2000 season, ownership overhauled the organization’s leadership, installing Matt Millen as general manager, Bill Tobin as director of player personnel and Marty Mornhinweg as coach. Rebuilding the offensive line became their priority, and Backus emerged as one of their top targets.
“But it was shocking to me because I didn’t expect to be drafted by the Lions,” Backus told the Free Press. “I thought I was going to Tampa Bay. … I actually moved out of Ann Arbor and moved all my stuff home to Atlanta, Georgia, where I trained for the combine. And then I found myself five months later, packing up the U-Haul and moving right back.”
Backus arrived in Pontiac as the No. 18 overall choice, brimming with optimism. The Lions were hopeful too, as Mornhinweg crowed over making a “statement up front.” But as Backus settled in, he soon discovered he had entered an unfamiliar environment.
The stability he took for granted at Michigan was absent. The standard of winning he had become accustomed to in Ann Arbor wasn’t established in Detroit, where he was one piece in a 53-man puzzle whose composition was constantly rearranged.
“It was the opposite experience that I had at Michigan,” Backus said.
A stoic type who kept a low profile, Backus aimed to lead by example as his football world crumbled around him. He didn’t miss a game over his first 11 seasons while playing for five different head coaches, including four in his first six seasons. If he was burdened by being a top pick from a local college power, it wasn’t apparent to his teammates.
“It didn’t seem to me he felt extra pressure,” former Lions quarterback Joey Harrington told the Free Press. “If anything, I would say there is a sense of pride.”
The close proximity of the Michigan program benefited Backus, allowing him to ease into the chaotic life of the NFL. He’d make frequent trips to Ann Arbor, visiting his old haunts and catching up with friends. He’d also venture over to the football headquarters, where he’d work out and chat with the athletic trainers. This was home, after all.
It still is. Backus lives just outside Ann Arbor, where he spends fall Saturdays going to the 100,000-seat stadium where he once played. Last season, he watched Hutchinson spark a revival at his alma mater. After enduring a dreadful 2020, when they went 2-4, the Wolverines matched the highest win total in program history — 12 — as Hutchinson piled up a school-record 14 sacks.
“Whatever they did,” Backus said, “they flipped a switch. And Aidan was an unbelievable leader.”
Hutchinson’s impact on Michigan was pronounced.
Backus hopes the rookie from Michigan will have the same effect on the Lions, who enter the second year of the Brad Holmes-Dan Campbell regime.
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But based on his own experience, he also understands Hutchinson doesn’t have complete autonomy over his fate.
Hutchinson could perform well and play a long time, which would justify his status as a top-five pick.
“But they want to see you win,” said Raiola, who was drafted the same year as Backus and played 14 seasons with the Lions. “And, you know, we didn’t do that enough. … We wanted to be a constant. We wanted to be part of resolving the issues there.”
It’s the charge Hutchinson has been given 21 years after Backus tried in vain to reposition the Lions as winners.
“I wish him all the best in the world,” Backus said.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @RainerSabin. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Big Ten newsletter.