Is top 2022 grade in play?? … Pretty much all season its been something of a given that Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux was the top-rated prospect for the 2022 draft on just about every team’s board around the NFL. However, there is a bit of a buzz around the league these days that just maybe Michigan DE Aidan Hutchinson has closed the gap on Thibodeaux on more than one team’s board such that it may not necessarily be a given that the Ducks’ #5 will ultimately be the first player selected this coming April (at least the first non-QB.) We’ll wait for a little more confirmation, but there is no question that Hutchinson has certainly been the more productive of the two this season, posting 12.5 sacks to Thibodeaux’s 6, although the latter did miss several games with an ankle injury early in the year. If nothing else, it could be an interesting debate as they are somewhat different players. Thibodeaux, for example, is a superior athlete who wins with speed and quickness, but there have been some questions at times about his motor and commitment to the game. Hutchinson, on the other hand, is a good, although not necessarily elite athlete who isn’t going to simply run around many people, but does have a unique combination of quickness, lateral agility and technical proficiency, not to mention a non-stop motor very much in the Bosa-mold. Of course, folks can check out both in their respective conference championship games this week with Thibodeaux’s Ducks playing Utah in the PAC-12 title game Friday evening, while Hutchinson and company will face Iowa in the Big Ten championship the following evening. Enjoy!!
