Getty Image / Mike Mulholland
Aidan Hutchinson is very thankful that the Jacksonville Jaguars passed on him with the 1st pick in last year’s draft.
They decided to pick Travon Walker instead and he went to the Detroit Lions at pick 2.
Last year, the Jacksonville Jaguars faced an interesting decision with the top pick in the NFL Draft.
They had to choose between Aidan Hutchinson, who was viewed as the most NFL ready edge rusher in the draft, or Travon Walker, who wasn’t as productive in college, but was believed to have the higher ceiling.
They ended up deciding to draft Walker and Hutchinson went second overall to the Detroit Lions.
This week, the Lions and Jaguars met up for joint practices.
It gave the top two picks from last year’s draft the chance to showcase their talents on the same field and the matchup led to Hutchinson answering an interesting question.
Hutchinson revealed to the media that he is “very thankful” that the Jaguars passed on him and he ended up with the Lions.
Aidan Hutchinson isn’t (ever) looking back at the “what if” with the Jaguars.
“It all worked out. It was divine timing,” he said. The Lions top pick said “the sky’s the limit” for him. pic.twitter.com/TKRHV6EL0b
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) August 17, 2023
“I’m happy here. Very thankful, very thankful,” Hutchinson said. “I mean, it all worked out. It was divine timing. The way things went was the way things were supposed to go.”
While both teams have come a long way from where they were when they drafted these two players, it was Hutchinson who definitely got the better of his rookie year.
He racked up 9.5 sacks and intercepted 3 passes as a rookie on his way to finishing 2nd in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Walker wasn’t quite as impactful in his rookie season, with just 3.5 sacks in his first year.
Both players will have big expectations for their second season in the league and will both be key contributors on the defensive side of the ball for teams that have gone from the two worst in the league to playoff contenders in a very short time.