The Michigan defensive lineman was the second pick. (0:23)
The Detroit Lions went with a local choice Thursday night, selecting Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson with the 2nd overall pick in the NFL draft.
The chatter of fans pushing the Lions to pick Hutchinson kept general manager Brad Holmes busy, even while he was casually dropping in and out of restaurants near the team's practice facility.
Hutchinson was a defensive end, tight end, offensive lineman, and long-snapper at Divine Child High School in Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is less than 30 miles from Ford Field to where he was born.
The Lions finished with a 3-13-1 record and ranked 31st in points per game. They have finished in the bottom five in pressure percentage in each of the past six seasons. They were 30th in sacks and 29th in pressure percentage.
The Michigan single-season record for sacks in a season was 14 by Hutchinson in 2021. The seventh-highest rate of pressure on opposing quarterbacks was generated by Hutchinson.
Hutchinson is a Michigan man. Chris was a defensive tackle and outside linebacker for the UM from 1989 to 1992. His mother and sisters both went to the University of Michigan.
This is the first time since 1972 that defensive ends went with the top two picks.
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