New Detroit Lions defensive line coach John Scott Jr. is still haunted by the last time he saw Aidan Hutchinson on the field.
Scott was an assistant at Penn State in November 2021, and Hutchinson was a wrecking ball in the process of leading Michigan to a 21-17 win over the Nittany Lions.
Hutchinson forced an intentional grounding penalty with a pass rush on the second play of the game, had a run stuff at the line of scrimmage a few plays later and sacked quarterback Sean Clifford to stall the Nittany Lions’ opening drive. He finished the game with seven tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble.
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“I’m glad he’s on my side now,” Scott said Wednesday in his first interview since he joined the Lions in February. “We had a tough one the last time I saw Aidan on the field.”
Hutchinson had a similar impact in his first NFL season last year, when he led the Lions with 9½ sacks and finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting; Scott said it’s his job to get even more out of his talented pass rusher and the rest of the Lions young defensive line this fall.
“The guy’s a high-motor guy,” Scott said. “He was extremely productive in college and I’ve watched his games from the NFL, he still plays that way. I think the ceiling’s as high as he wants it to be. He’s a talented guy and he works at it, so super excited to get with him and help him go where he wants to go.”
Hutchinson, the No. 2 pick of the 2022 draft, got off to a slow start last season, recording one or fewer tackles in three of the Lions’ first seven games. But he benefitted from a slight schematic change in mid-October that let him play more as a stand-up pass rusher and finished the season on a tear.
The NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month in both November and December/January, Hutchinson had three interceptions, two fumble recoveries and five sacks over the season’s final 10 weeks.
“He’s an impact player,” new Lions senior defensive assistant John Fox said. “I think the fact that he’s kind of a homegrown kid as well I think adds to the allure. And he’s a guy that works hard. You see a lot of strain in his game when you look at him on tape. I just met him a couple days ago for the first time as a Lion, but you see great potential. He had a very, very good rookie season and I think he’ll just be that much better for it, those experiences, and he’ll just get better and better. But he’s an outstanding prospect, an outstanding player and look for a lot of improvement.”
If Hutchinson takes another leap forward this fall, that could mean good things for a Lions defense that finished last in the NFL in yards allowed last season.
The Lions return every major contributor from their defensive line last season and added three new starters to their secondary in free agency. And Scott said he’s hoping general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell give him even more pieces to work with in this month’s draft.
“I’ll take as many good defensive linemen I can take,” he said. “Obviously, coach Campbell and Brad, they got this thing handled for us so they’ll make the right moves for it. But selfishly, you take as many good defensive lineman that you can take.”
Well wishes
New Lions cornerbacks coach Dre Bly was traded once in his 11-year NFL career, in the spring of 2007 when the Lions shipped him to the Denver Broncos for running back Tatum Bell and offensive lineman George Foster.
So Bly has an idea of what former Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah experienced this week, when the Lions pulled the plug on their 2020 first-round pick and traded him to the Atlanta Falcons for a fifth-round pick in this month’s NFL draft.
“Sometimes this happens in the game,” Bly said Wednesday. “Don’t really know much about the situation. My job is to coach the players that’s here, but I’m sure he’s going to embrace that situation, that opportunity to go to Atlanta.”
Bly said he spoke with Okudah shortly after he was hired in February, but the two never got the chance to meet this offseason.
Bly had one of the most productive seasons of his career after his trade, intercepting five passes in 16 games in Denver. He went on to play one more season with the Broncos and another with the San Francisco 49ers before retiring; he said he hopes Okudah will find similar success in Atlanta.
Okudah had two interceptions in 25 games over three injury-riddled seasons in Detroit. He was fifth on the Lions depth chart at cornerback after free agency, but is expected to compete for a starting job with the Falcons.
“He was a very successful guy in college and so I’m sure he’s looking forward to the opportunity,” Bly said. “Wish him well.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.