Aidan Hutchinson Reveals Who Is Most ‘Badass’ Player

Aidan Hutchinson has never been one to shy away from the gritty, physical side of football, and many of his Detroit Lions teammates are the same way. That’s why when the star EDGE was asked to name the most “badass” player he’s ever lined up with, he chose Lions defensive back Brian Branch.

Branch plays with a high level of violence and fearlessness on an every-down basis, and is the epitome of a player whose impact is felt well beyond the box score.

“I have a ton of respect for his ability,” Hutchinson told Kevin Clark on ESPN’s “This Is Football” podcast from Super Bowl radio row. “A lot of my impact is low-speed collisions, being at the line of scrimmage. But, when I’m setting an edge and I hear BB (Brian Branch) coming downhill, cracking helmets, and then he gets up, he’s like unfazed, but the noise, you probably could hear it from the other side of the field. Man, I’ve got so much respect for that. It’s why he’s my ‘badass’ of the year for sure.”

That’s certainly a compliment that carries weight, coming from one of the league’s most relentless defenders.

Hutchinson knows a thing or two about physical battles, too. 

During the 2025 campaign, the Pro Bowl pass-rusher amassed 14.5 sacks and 100 pressures, the most among all qualified EDGE defenders. Plus, he recorded the fourth-best Pro Football Focus overall grade among players at his position (91.9), including the third-best pass-rush mark among EDGEs (92.2).

However, some of his most intense work doesn’t come on Sundays. Instead, it comes in practice, lining up across from All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell.

Battles with Penei Sewell

The Hutchinson-Sewell practice matchup has become the embodiment of Detroit’s “iron sharpens iron” culture. 

Despite four years now of daily battles, Hutchinson says there’s never been bad blood between the two. No cheap shots. No post-play shoving. Just mutual respect and relentless competition. 

“When I get to play against a guy of his caliber, and practice against a guy of his caliber, it only serves me so much better in the long (run),” Hutchinson said. “And I’m sure he would say the same about me, and that’s why it works so well. And man, it’s funny, we talk about it, you go back and you watch us, my rookie year and his second year, and how we both have grown and developed in the one-on-one’s, the team run periods and every period, it’s really, really crazy to see the development and it’s really cool.”

Sewell, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has been an AP first-team All-Pro selection each of the past three seasons. And he’s coming off a season in which he earned a 95.2 overall grade from PFF, the very best overall mark among 89 qualified offensive tackles. 

Perhaps his best trait is his run-blocking ability. He’s the definition of a mauler, and has an innate ability to open up lanes for Detroit’s dynamic backfield duo: Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. 

For his run-blocking prowess in 2025, he earned a 96.8 PFF run-blocking grade, tops among all qualified OTs.  

Who would win if Hutchinson and Sewell fought? According to Hutchinson, it’s Sewell. 

“You know what, man, he’s like 6-foot-4, 330 (pounds), I’m just going to give that one to him,” Hutchinson said. “However, if I get angry, I feel like you unlock a different level of strength. So, we’ll see.”