By: Jake Rajala

The Jacksonville Jaguars sincerely have one of the most underrated edge-rushing combinations in the league with Josh Allen and Travon Walker. The 2022 first-overall pick, Walker (who is 21 years old), showed his pro-ready ability in his pre-season debut with an impressive sack. In the Jags contest yesterday, he forced D’Ernest Johnson to cough up the football (despite not being credited with the FF). Of course, Walker has unearthly power via his 4.51 40-yard dash time and 6’5, 270 lb frame. He will certainly be able to make magic happen without the best knowledge of pass-rushing moves in his rookie campaign. It’s obvious that Walker is looking like a strong, DROY candidate thus far.

The Detroit Lions freak rookie, Aidan Hutchinson, had a TFL and he forced a holding penalty in his show-down yesterday. It will be exciting to see Walker compete with Hutch and certainly others throughout the 2022 campaign for DROY gold.

Walker will anticipate his underrated pal, Josh Allen (who sacked Josh Allen and made history as the only player to sack an opposing quarterback with the same name last season), to return to being a Pro Bowl-caliber player in 2022. Allen has notched 20.5 sacks, 48 QB hits, 25 TFLs, 3 FFs, and one interception in his three-year career. The Jags pass-rusher garnered a modest 78.5 grade by PFF last season. His fifth year was picked by the Jags, so they can still be a bit patient with his contract.

I really expect the Jags pass rush to make a big jump from last season, largely due to Walker and Allen. The Jags ranked 27th in sacks a season ago I surely expect them to sit in the Top-15 in sacks in the upcoming season. The Jags may have a sexy, new passing attack with T-Lawrence, Marvin Jones Jr, Christian Kirk, and Evan Engram, but don’t sleep on the Jags pass rush that will make life difficult for opposing signal-callers in 2022.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Detroit Lions ranked 30th in sacks last season (w/ 30 sacks on the season), but their 2022 front seven is a different animal than their 2021 version. The Lions showcase the mighty Aidan Hutchinson, who is seen as a 2022 DROY favorite by countless analysts. Hutch showed on Day 4 of training camp that he is ready to shine as a rookie – as he beat the talented, second-year OT Penei Sewell for a sack. Hutch will certainly look to unleash havoc against David Bakhtiari prior to sacking A-Rod soon.

According to Sports Betting Dime, Hutch is the favorite to win DROY right now.

Hutch isn’t the only profile that could resemble Amleth on the Lions DL. The Lions will anticipate more pass-rushing production from DT Michael Brockers. The former Rams DT unveiled 5 sacks, 10 QB hits, and 5 TFLs in 2020, but he only registered a mere sack and one QB hit in 2021. Alongside the rookie sensation at DE, he should have plenty of more favorable opportunities to bury opposing signal-callers next season.

The other Lions DE Romeo Okwara was on another level in 2020: 10 sacks and 18 QB hits. Unfortunately, Okwara tore his Achilles in Week 4 and then missed the rest of the season. It appears that he should be available by mid-season. The veteran edge rusher will be a free agent in 2024. Let’s also not forget about the former Missouri DE Charles Harris, who nicely notched 7.5 sacks a season ago.

The Lions arguably have the most underrated pass-rushing tandem entering 2022. Between the former Michigan Wolverine and Juliet’s lover, the Lions could realistically have 20-25 sacks. The Lions passing offense should be more explosive than last season, too. This also means that the Lions pass rushers will be able to pin their ears back against desperate QBs that aim to keep pace with the Lions new-look passing offense. Expect the Lions pass rush to feast and potentially be the key ingredient in an upset against the Packers or Vikings.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Detroit Lions have been hungry and playing with a ton of energy in OTAs thus far. The hopeful fan base in Detroit should feel delighted knowing that their beloved second overall pick Aidan Hutchinson has been standing out in OTAs as of late. Per Detroit Free Press, Hutch and the rest of the Lions top hunters in their DL have been impressive. Interestingly, Chris Burke (who covers the Lions for The Athletic) has mentioned that the Lions top draft pick has also lined up at the DT spot.

It’s amazing that the Aidan Hutchinson-led pass rush has been booming in 2022 because they didn’t have an ounce of pass rush talent last season (30th in sacks). It also wouldn’t be a surprise if DET targeted Everson Griffen, Justin Houston, or Carlos Dunlap this summer.

The other Lions first-round pick Jameson Williams has been easy to spot out, as well. Per Michigan Live, Campbell stated, “We put him out there on the grass and that’s his domain. He’s very much engaged. You ask questions. He’s got the script. He’s on it. In meetings, he’s very much engaged. He asks good questions”.

Williams and D’Andre Swift (four missed games last season), who also has hit the ground running in camp, will be important weapons for Jared Goff. The Lions may not have a turnaround in a way that Cincy transitioned from 2020 to 2021, but they can significantly improve their offensive firepower and ability to harass A-Rod in 2022.

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By: Jake Rajala

The bright football mind Kyle Brandt expressed on Good Morning Football that the Lions selected the draft’s top player in Aidan Hutchinson with the second overall pick. Of course, the Jacksonville Jaguars felt like Travon Walker was more special than Hutchinson. Nonetheless, the former Michigan Wolverine is arguably more pro-ready than the former Georgia pass rusher and other highly touted rookie defenders. I really feel like Hutchinson, also known as Nick Bosa 2.0, can be a warrior and Pro Bowl-caliber DE in year one as a Detroit Lion. With that said, here are three reasons why the Lions DE can win DROY in 2022.

• DROY = Pass Rusher Award

Hutchinson isn’t only a competitive maniac, but he plays a position where talented rookies usually have a quality floor in year one: edge rusher. In fact, the DE position has showcased the most (three) DROY winners since 2016 (Chase Young, Nick Bosa, and Joey Bosa). It can be a struggle for cornerbacks to be filled with dynamite as a rookie, as only one CB has won DROY since 2016. History has clearly favored the brave DE position for rookie profiles.

• The most pro-ready DE

As previously stated, I really believe Hutchinson is more prepared to use his skill and motor to be successful on Day 1 than the likes of Walker and Kavyon Thibodeaux. Walker has a rare combination of size and speed (4.51 40-yard dash), but It will certainly take time for him to develop his ability at the professional level. Walker could have a slightly similar path as the New Orleans Saints DE Marcus Davenport, who is coming off a career season in year four of his career.

• Chicago Bears pass protection

The Chicago Bears might be one squad, but the Lions divisional foe gave up the most sacks last season. Hutchinson should be licking his chops in each contest against the rebuilding Bears offense. Chase Young had 2.5 sacks against the Eagles in his DROY campaign and it was unveiled to be a big piece of his 7.5 sack puzzle. If Hutch can have a few sacks against the Bears next season, it could honestly be a monster advantage in his chances to win DROY.

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