Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Aidan Hutchinson Dips in EDGE Rankings

Originally posted on Detroit Lions on SI
By Christian Booher | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 10:30 AM ET

Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson remains one of the top players at his position in the league, but his status amongst that top tier has slightly dipped since last season.

In ESPN's annual poll allowing executives, coaches and scouts to rank the best players at each position, Hutchinson enters the 2025 season ranked seventh. Last season, he was ranked sixth.

Passing Hutchinson was Cincinnati's Trey Hendrickson, who led the league in sacks last season with 17.5. The Michigan product's slight drop could also be attributed to suffering a season-ending injury in Week 6 of last year.

Hutchinson finished with 7.5 sacks in just five games and had earned NFC Defensive Player of the Month honors for the month of September.

One AFC executive noted, via ESPN, "I thought he would've been a finalist for (Defensive Player of the Year) last season had he not gotten hurt. Rare motor, exceptional length, great combination of athleticism and power."

Although his sample size was limited compared to the rest of the league, he finished at the top of the EDGE leaderboard in Pro Football Focus' pass-rush grade (95.0) and pass-rush win rate (38.3 percent).

An NFC executive told ESPN that Hutchinson may have cracked the top three of their rankings had he not gotten injured.

Hutchinson has returned to action over the course of the team's offseason program. He participated in organized team activities, and coaches are optimistic that he will be able to return to his elite form in 2025 and beyond.

Ranking ahead of Hutchinson were Myles Garrett, T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons, Maxx Crosby, Nick Bosa and Hendrickson. His highest ranking on any of the ballots was third, while his lowest was unranked.

This article first appeared on Detroit Lions on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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