Lions' Aidan Hutchinson poised to make NFL history with lofty projection

The Detroit Lions have quite a few stars on their current roster, but one that perhaps makes the most noise, at least on defense, is defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.

The Michigan product is considered one of the best defensive ends in the league. Numbers don't lie, and last season, Hutch appeared in 17 games, notching a career-high 14.5 sacks, fourth in the NFL, as well as 54 total tackles, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He also had one interception with a 58-yard return. There's a lot to love about those stats.

Now, Hutchinson is being projected to only get better and stronger. He hasn't even reached his peak yet.

Detroit Lions' Aidan Hutchinson could get even better over the next few years

In a feature published on Monday by ESPN, their panel of sports experts projected the future of all 32 NFL teams. In it, they have a great prediction for Hutchinson.

For Seth Walder's bold prediction for 2027-29, he said, "Hutchinson will win Defensive Player of the Year."

Walder added that Hutch's five pre-injury games in 2024 always stick out in his mind: "when he had 7.5 sacks and an obscene 35.0% pass rush win rate at edge (Danielle Hunter led qualifiers that year at 26.1%)."

He added, "Of course, that was a small sample. But Hutchinson has the capability to be an elite -- even the best -- edge rusher over a whole season."

So, Hutchinson could actually become the best edge-rusher in the league between 2027 and 2029.

It's also worth noting that there's been some concern that there isn't another solid edge rusher on the Lions' roster, which puts the burden on Hutchinson, but Holmes did bring in second-round pick Derrick Moore, which should help.