Aidan Hutchinson still holding firm as No. 1 overall prospect

Michigan football edge defender Aidan Hutchinson is less than a month away from finding out if he will be the No. 1 overall pick. The cards are in the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hold the top pick in next month’s 2022 NFL Draft.

Earlier in the offseason, it was assumed that Jacksonville would reach for need with the top pick and grab an offensive lineman to protect quarterback Trevor Lawrence. After Hutchinson lit up the NFL Combine, the tide began to turn back in favor of the Michigan product.

In the weeks that followed, not much has changed. The first big wave of NFL free agency is in the rearview mirror with Jacksonville taking steps to solidify its offensive line. This leaves the door open for Hutchinson to be a Jaguar.

The mocks drafts are agreeing. Here is a snapshot of what some notable outlets are saying about Hutchinson.

Dissenting opinions from The Draft Network

“The Jaguars have made some pretty interesting moves this offseason, to say the least,” Brentley Weissman writes in his latest mock draft. “They decided to franchise tag left tackle Cam Robinson yet again, which is a curious decision given the tackle talent at the top of this year’s class. They were aggressive in bringing on new receivers for Trevor Lawrence even if they did overpay. Then they signed Brandon Scherff to shore up the interior of this offensive line. 

“I believe all these moves point to a defensive player with the top overall pick and many believe the best defensive player in this class to be Aidan Hutchinson. Hutchinson is the odds-on favorite for the No. 1 overall pick as he brings good overall athleticism, outstanding power, and refined technique off the edge.”

However, there is a thought that Jacksonville could be considering Georgia’s Travon Walker.

“Walker’s rare athletic abilities pair nicely with his experiences at Georgia, where he played all over the formation, making him an ideal fit in Caldwell’s defense as a game-changer that can win both on the edge and across the interior,” TDN’s Justin Melo says about Walker’s skillset. “Walker deserves to be coached by the type of innovative mind Caldwell boasts and it’s easy to see the two men meshing well throughout the process.

NFL.com’s Chad Reuter on Hutchinson

NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter has Hutchinson still heading to Jacksonville, he posted in his latest mock draft.

“The Jaguars are shifting their defense under new coordinator Mike Caldwell, who will feature aspects of the scheme he coached under Todd Bowles in Tampa Bay the past three seasons,” he said. “Jacksonville will be tempted to select Georgia’s Travon Walker due to his athletic upside, but the team might be swayed toward Hutchinson because of the former Wolverine’s production and consistency at U-M.”

Pro Football Focus weighs in on the Michigan star

Pro Football Focus’ Austin Gayle still believes Hutchinson weighs in at No. 1. The Michigan pass rusher is believed by him to have the highest floor of any player in the class.

“Hutchinson is currently the betting favorite (-280, per DraftKings Sportsbook) to go No. 1 overall to the Jaguars in the 2022 NFL Draft,” Gayle said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Hutchinson is PFF’s and the media consensus’ top-ranked player entering the draft. He also led all defensive players in college football in PFF grade (94.5) during his College Football Playoff run with the Wolverines this past season.

“The 6-foot-7, 260-pounder simply checks every box across the board — his production, intangibles and athleticism are all at elite levels. He cleared the 95th percentile in both the short shuttle (4.15s) and three-cone (6.71s) drills at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine and earned the highest composite score among 41 different key performance indicators that Michigan strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert tests among any Wolverine over the past two seasons.”

Jaguars coach weighs in

Jacksonville’s decision to place the franchise tag on offensive tackle Cam Robinson was eye-opening. That signified to some the idea that the Jaguars were content with their line. Head coach Doug Pederson put out that fire on Monday morning.

“You know, the decisions to bring guys like Cam back are to protect your quarterback, it has nothing to do with the draft,” Pederson said at the NFL’s owner meetings, via MLive. “We want the offensive line to be solidified. We want guys up there that have been around. Cam is a big part of that, is going to be a big part of that, so we were excited to obviously retain him. But as it pertains to the draft, that’s kind of its own separate deal right now.”

Jacksonville still seems set on building its offensive line, which could open the possibilities at No. 1 back up.

“We’re not done [on the line], obviously,” Pederson said. “The draft is coming up. I’m sure we’re going to add some more depth at that position. You can never have enough offensive linemen in the NFL.”

The 2022 NFL Draft is set to be held in Las Vegas from April 28-30.