The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JUNE / JULY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 41 Michigan player selected by the Lions since both guard Graham Glasgow and quarterback Jake Rudock were selected in 2016. Before then, the last Wolverine to come off the board to Detroit was offen- sive tackle Jeff Backus in 2001. Hutchin- son is the first defensive player from Ann Arbor selected by Detroit since Garland Rivers in 1987. Hutchinson is the third first-round pick from Michigan in Lions history. The other two were fullback Bob Westfall (1942) and Backus. Wide receiver Terry Barr (third-round pick, 1957) is the only former Wolverine to make a Pro Bowl as a Lion. He was also on the last team to win a championship with the team as part of the 1957 roster. "To the city, just know I'm gonna give it my all," Hutchinson said after the selec- tion on April 28. "It was such an honor to be on that stage and be picked by the Lions. It was the Lions all the way. The whole draft process I wanted them to pick me. And I'm so grateful that I went No. 2 to them." Hutchinson now gets to make his mark 45 minutes east of where he played his college ball. He also transitions head coaches from Jim Harbaugh to Dan Campbell, two men who live and breathe the sport and are known for hard-nosed, physical football teams. Campbell had the chance to dive into Hutchinson's film during the offseason and realized quickly he would be a fit. "I'll tell you what stuck out. I was like, 'My gosh, this guy's relentless,'" Camp- bell said on the Saturday after the draft to Sports Illustrated. "I wrote down relent- less, wrecking ball, explosive, good hand use. There are several words I can use to describe him. But if you're asking for one that just really stood out, it was he was relentless. And it was in both areas, run and pass game." "He's a major pain in the ass. He's not going to just catch his breath on a play. He's catching his breath between plays, and when it's time to go and they snap the ball until they blow the whistle, this guy is all out, all the time. And I would say there's a lot of refinement to him, he's worked his craft. But man, he's got room to improve now. I'll tell you what excites me about him is where his ceiling is." Michigan's first-night success was not limited to Hutchinson. Versatile de- fensive back Daxton Hill also came off the board in the first round as the No. 31 overall pick to the defending AFC cham- pion Cincinnati Bengals. Head coach Zac Taylor spoke highly of Hill's character in addition to his skill set. "The stuff on the field, and the stuff off the field [stood out to us]," Taylor said during a draft press conference. "As you guys know, that's exactly the type of traits that we look for in our players. He em- bodies everything that we've searched to be about. "We're excited that he was where he was last night in the draft and that we were able to get him at No. 31 and add him to the mix. He's going to be a great weapon for us for a long time." Coming into the draft process, Ojabo was projected by many to be a potential third first-round draftee for Michigan. However, a torn left Achilles tendon at his pro day dropped his stock into the second day of the draft. But the football gods found a way to turn his injury into a soft place to land. The Baltimore Ravens — coached by John Harbaugh and coordinated defen- sively by former U-M assistant Mike Macdonald — ended Ojabo's slide, select- ing him in the second round with the No. 45 overall pick. "That's just how I know that it's all part of the plan," Ojabo said after he was se- lected. "What are the odds that the per- son who comes in and gives me a chance to play [at Michigan] ultimately is the guy I'm following to the next level as well? I just know that it's all written, man. It's meant to be." Most analysts believed Ojabo needed time to sit and learn before the injury, but the film backs up a player who has a chance to be a force in time. "You could see the growth from game to game," ESPN analyst Louis Riddick said. "Even from quarter to quarter, you could start to see him figure it out as far as read- ing offensive tackle sets. Is a guy heavy? Is he light? Do I need to go out or come back inside? You saw him in the run game clos- ing down on pullers, using his hands to set the edge. You can see it start to click for him as he got more and more reps. That's what you kept seeing with him. "He's probably going to take a redshirt year in 2022. I'm telling you when he gets back healthy — and hopefully, he gets his explosiveness back — they hit on some- thing here." The action for Michigan prospects was sparse the rest of the way. The next Wolverine to come off the board was 86 picks later on Saturday afternoon when the Tennessee Titans selected running back Hassan Haskins (fourth round, No. 131 overall). He is expected to compete for reserve reps behind star Derrick Henry in Nashville. "First off, they like to run the ball," Haskins told ESPN 102.5 The Game in Nashville. "I love that about the team. Michigan In The 2022 NFL Draft Player Position Team Round Overall Pick Aidan Hutchinson Edge Detroit Lions 1st 2nd Daxton Hill S Cincinnati Bengals 1st 31st David Ojabo Edge Baltimore Ravens 2nd 45th Hassan Haskins RB Tennessee Titans 4th 131st Andrew Stueber OT New England Patriots 7th 245th Undrafted free agent signings: WR Daylen Baldwin, New York Giants (rookie camp invite); CB Vincent Gray, New Orleans Saints; S Brad Hawkins, Atlanta Falcons; DL Chris Hinton, New York Giants; DL Donovan Jeter, Pittsburgh Steelers; and LB Josh Ross, Baltimore Ravens. Safety Daxton Hill also was chosen in the first round of the NFL Draft. He was selected 31st overall by the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals. PHOTO COURTESY U-M FOOTBALL TWITTER