National Football League

Aidan Hutchinson: Being No. 1 pick is 'something I've wanted'

Published Feb. 17, 2022 8:29 p.m. ET

Only one man can be bestowed with the No. 1 pick in each year's NFL draft.

And this year, former Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is among the prime candidates to receive the honor.

The 6-6, 265-pound edge rusher has all the physical tools to be a backfield-hounding threat, and his rare combination of size, speed and flexibility has scouts comparing him to some of the game's best current DE's.

And for Hutchinson, hearing his name called first in the draft would be an absolute dream come true.

"It's something that I've wanted for so long," Hutchinson told Colin Cowherd on "The Herd." "I wrote that in my freshman year dorm, saying ‘I’m going to be the No. 1 pick in the draft,' and now I'm starting to see it come true."

Aidan Hutchinson on what being No. 1 means to him

All-American defensive end Aidan Hutchinson joins Colin Cowherd to discuss how it would feel to be not only the No. 1 pick of the 2022 NFL Draft but to play at the professional level regardless of location.

If Hutchinson is the No. 1 pick, that means that barring a trade, he would be heading to Jacksonville to join forces with Trevor Lawrence. He maintained, though, that he'll show up and show out regardless of his draft slot.

"At the end of the day, I don't think it matters where, or when I go. I just want to give whatever team I go to my best efforts, and I know I'm going to. If I go No. 1, No. 2, it doesn't matter, I'm going to ball out. Wherever I go, they're going to get all of Aidan Hutchinson."

Hutchinson also reflected on the Wolverines' historic season during his "The Herd" appearance as well, a campaign that helped vault his draft stock tremendously.

"Going into the [Ohio State] game, we played a lot of opponents that were just not as good as them. You turn on the film, and they've got five-stars everywhere, talent all around the board. They were a very good football team this year, and I think when I saw that first possession from our offense. They were pounding the ball down their throats, and that's when I knew ‘this is a different team, and this is going to be a different kind of game this year.’"