INDIANAPOLIS -- The gravity of Aidan Hutchinson's reality doesn't appear to have set in quite yet.
During his Friday morning session with reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine, the Michigan star had to remind himself twice that the man he'd known as his defensive coordinator in 2021 is no longer his coach.
"Coach -- I guess it's Mike now since I'm out of college," Hutchinson said when beginning to respond to a question about Mike Macdonald.
"Coach Mac -- or Mike" is now in the NFL as the Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator, going from working under one Harbaugh to another. Hutchinson will soon join them in the NFL ranks, but he'll be long gone by the time Macdonald's team is up to make its first-round selection.
Hutchinson has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of draft boards powered by a dominant senior season with the Wolverines in which he set the school's single-season sack record (14) and led Michigan to a landmark win over rival Ohio State on its way to its first-ever Big Ten Championship Game triumph and College Football Playoff appearance. His contributions were impossible to overlook as Michigan gained steam down the stretch in 2021, and by the time December arrived, NFL Network's Bucky Brooks devoted the first portion of his scout's notebook diving into Hutchinson's potential.
That same potential could lead Hutchinson to hearing his name called early in April's draft. If he's selected with the second-overall pick, he won't even need to board a plane to reach his new destination: Detroit.
"It would definitely be cool," Hutchinson said when asked how he'd react to being drafted by the Lions. "I'd be living close to home. It would definitely make the transition a bit easier to the NFL just being so close to home and close to my parents."
Hutchinson is a native of Plymouth, Michigan, and stayed in state with his decision to attend Michigan. He'd complete the Wolverine State trifecta by going to the Lions, who have a need at edge rusher and would land a player with sky-high potential in Hutchinson. Both Brooks and Daniel Jeremiah currently have the Lions projected to choose Hutchinson in their latest mock drafts, and it simply makes too much sense to think otherwise at this point in the process.
Hutchinson still has to complete his combine workout this weekend, but the tape doesn't lie. He's a serious candidate to go No. 1 overall to Jacksonville, however the Jaguars also need help on the offensive line and could go in that direction while trying to build a group to protect Trevor Lawrence. If an offensive tackle goes No. 1, it's reasonable to believe Hutchinson won't last long.
"It would mean a lot," Hutchinson said of potentially being selected with the top pick of the draft. "A lot of hard work has gone into this. It's been a very long journey, but I'm ready to start a new chapter."
That new chapter could begin just down the road from where his most recent one ended. But as Hutchinson made sure to note Friday, his story is only just beginning.
