One of the consistently great things we’ve seen through three games in Ann Arbor is Michigan football’s pass rush. While it doesn’t always get home, Wolverines senior and team captain Aidan Hutchinson has cemented himself as one of the best edge defenders in the country.
He’s borderline unblockable, and the only way to essentially get around having him come at you if you’re a quarterback is to get rid of the ball as quickly as possible.
PFF agrees, having put Hutchinson as its second-best pass rusher in the country, placing him fifth overall on its updated NFL draft board, behind only Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux.
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What’s more, when Hutchinson faced Jaxson Kirkland, he put him on skates. Multiple times.
💪 Big win for Michigan last night over Washington.
🔥 Huge play by Aidan Hutchinson on 4th down. Sniffed out this run, blew past Jaxson Kirkland like he wasn’t there and got his defense off the field. Hutchinson also had 2.5 sacks.
⛳ Couple of our guys are big fans. #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/116yShEdY1
— Full 10 Yards College (@Full10YardsCFB) September 12, 2021
PFF, of course, noticed and gave Kirkland a bit of a fall down its list as a result.
Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson single-handedly caused Kirkland to tumble down this list, as his play strength concerns got exposed by the Michigan edge rusher. The senior tackle allowed two sacks and four total pressures in that game. He’s still a nimble 6-foot-7 with the kind of mirror ability you want to develop at tackle.
Hutchinson isn’t the only Michigan player that made PFF’s 100 NFL draft board. Safety/nickel Daxton Hill came in at No. 51 overall.
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Ranking Big Ten teams through 3 weeks according to PFF grades
