Campbell looks at Detroit’s picks in the first round
The Detroit Lions added players via this year’s draft that have very similar intangibles. Competitive, gritty and solid teammates who would endear themselves to the members of the current Lions roster.
Head coach Dan Campbell spoke to the MMQB’S Albert Breer and discussed the top two selections — EDGE Aidan Hutchinson from Michigan and wide receiver Jameson Williams from Alabama — made by general manager Brad Holmes.
“I’ll tell you what stuck out. I was like, My gosh, this guy’s relentless,” Campbell told Breer on Saturday, following the first round. “I wrote down relentless, wrecking ball, explosive, good hand use. There’s a number of words I can use to describe him. But if you’re asking for one that just really stood out, it was he was relentless. And it was in both areas, run and pass game.”
After extensive film review, Detroit’s coaching staff, led by defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, were beyond excited about the possibility of adding a player of Hutchinson’s caliber.
Glenn shared with reporters soon after Hutchinson was selected, “I went back and watched his freshman tape, and I don’t know if you guys ever watched it, but that’s when he was playing the three-technique for the most part. And so, I’m texting Dan like, ‘Man, there’s more versatility to this player than we probably give him credit for.’ So, I make
a cutup and just show it to him, that he’s played in that position. So now man, it’s things just spinning defensively, man, how can I use this guy in other situations, and you know, those things showed up. Obviously, I like the player a lot. We like the player a lot. Man, we’re glad to have this player. We really are.”
Campbell and Co. are hoping that assembling a roster that is relentless and difficult to play against will result in positive gains out on the football field.
“He’s a major pain in the …, ’cause, look, he’s not going to just catch his breath on a play,” Campbell said. “He’s catching his breath between plays, and when it’s time to go and they snap the ball, until they blow the whistle, this guy is all out, all the time.
“And I would say there’s a lot of refinement to him, he’s really worked his craft. But man, he’s got room to improve now.
“I’ll tell you what excites me about him is where his ceiling is.”
Campbell expressed that the prospect of Williams putting some fear in opposing defenses was intriguing.
“I’m like, Whoa, this is a little bit different now,” he said. “This player here, he puts the fear of God in a defense. And that’s what we want.”
Campbell continued, “The first play I ever saw of him, ever, was him running down on punt team as a gunner. And just crushing the returner — running and just crushing the returner. This guy is a high-level gunner on punt team. This guy is aggressive. He’s more than just a receiver. He’s a highly-competitive football player, like he just wants to be out there and do something.”
With the 2022 Draft now completed, the eight selections have truly given supporters more clues as to how the team will be constructed moving forward. The plan is clear.
“We feel like we’re building this foundation around guys that love ball and they’re all out, all the time. And they endear themselves to their teammates, and they’re highly competitive. So yeah, we feel like we’re getting this thing where we want to get it.”