Lions get bold Aidan Hutchinson prediction that wouldn't be a surprise at all originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The Detroit Lions came into their own under Dan Campbell, and while things went well for a while, they haven't made it to the Super Bowl, nor seen any of their players win a major award in the past few seasons. But if there is any player who could change that, it would be Aidan Hutchinson. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs could contend for the Offensive Player of the Year award, but that's gone to quarterbacks barring a truly stunning season. Hutchinson could win Defensive Player of the Year, and it wouldn't be a surprise. ESPN's Seth Walder is predicting the Lions will get to see such an award-winning season from Hutchinson between now and the 2029 season. Part of why is thanks not to his 14.5 sacks last year, but to his five-game explosion in 2024 before injury. Aidan Hutchinson predicted to win DPOY thanks in part to five-game 2024 season "Hutchinson will win Defensive Player of the Year," Walder predicts. "His five per-injury games in 2024 always stick out in my mind, when he had 7.5 sacks and an obscene 35.0% pass rush win rate at edge (Danielle Hunter led qualifiers that year at 26.1%). Of course, that was a small sample. But Hutchinson has the capability to be an elite -- even the best -- edge rusher over a whole season." The Lions veteran edge rusher is someone who's always going to be in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation as long as he's healthy. Last year, in his 17-game season and his return from injury, he had an interception, 14.5 sacks, three passes defended, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, 54 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 35 quarterback hits. He was a Pro Bowler, second-team All-Pro, and fifth-place in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He was second-place in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting back in 2022 and has shown an incredibly high ceiling in his career so far. MORE: Cowboys sign 8-time Pro Bowl pass rusher, 2-time Super Bowl champion Von Miller If he were to have a season where he reached his potential that he flashed in a five-game sample during the 2024 season, then Hutchinson might be a shoo-in for the Defensive Player of the Year Award. It would not be a huge surprise if he put together a 20-sack season for the Lions, especially if they can improve the secondary to give him a bit more time to generate pressures and turn said pressure into sacks. While Walder called this prediction "bold," it's hardly a bold prediction to say that Hutchinson could win the Defensive Player of the Year award, especially considering Walder's prediction was for any season between 2027 and 2029. Lions fans shouldn't be surprised if this prediction from Walder comes true, as a Defensive Player of the Year Award for the superstar edge rusher could happen as soon as the 2026 NFL season. More NFL news:
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