Jacksonville drafted defensive lineman Travon Walker instead at No. 1.
Last offseason, Aidan Hutchinson was expected to be the top pick in the NFL draft, but in the final weeks leading up the Jaguars landed on Travon Walker instead. That allowed Hutchinson, the former Michigan defensive end, to go to the Lions with the No. 2 pick.
The rookie said he expected to go first overall “for about three months, and then a week before the draft, something changed,” via NFL.com.
Detroit and Jacksonville will play for the first time since the draft this week, and while both teams enter the game at 4–7, there is some added juice to the contest. Hutchinson, who seems happy with the Lions, said he hasn’t forgotten about the one team that passed on him and the interesting reason why he believes they did.
“I guess my arms were just not quite long enough, but that hit a week before the draft,” he said. “I mean, we'll see if that inch or couple inches was the difference.”
Hutchinson, who was a Heisman candidate last season for Michigan, was criticized for his sub-33 inch arm length during the draft process. Walker, meanwhile, had his wingspan measure over 35 inches at the combine.
Hutchinson and Walker have both had solid rookie seasons for their respective teams. While Walker has topped Hutchinson in tackles thus far 37 to 31, the Lions defensive end has three more sacks entering this week.
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