2022 nfl draft

Hello, fan of an NFL team. MGoBlog excruciatingly scouts every Michigan play, and scores them to inform our coverage. Since mi atleta es su atleta now, here we share what we're sharing.

Quickly: Explosive edge-bender, developing run defender.

Draft Projection: Before the injury he was tracking to be the trendy high-upside edge that some team jumps at in the mid-1st round. Now he could be in the 2nd round or later. I doubt he'll last so long, but if teams worried about an Achilles tear are letting him drop to the 40s, as long as your team can afford to take a swing this is a very good pitch.

NFL Comp: I came up with Ziggy Ansah—explosive foreign player who was mostly a situational rusher in college to draft and develop. NFL.com came up with Cliff Avril, which I'm grateful for because that's one (Purdue/Lions) we're fairly familiar with, though Ojabo is taller and faster with great length; Avril's was average, but people also underrated him as a run defender.

What's his story? Ojabo was born in Nigeria but moved to Scotland when he was seven, and he grew up there until coming to the States for a year of high school. As you might imagine, he was SUPER DUPER raw, having only recently tried football after playing soccer and basketball (like HS teammate Odafe Oweh), and was an obvious redshirt in 2019. The pandemic hit when Ojabo was back in Scotland, and he got trapped there in a quarantine situation, unable to practice or develop much. He got back to Ann Arbor for fall camp but not in time to develop into a viable player. When 2021 started Ojabo was still considered a wild card, and they worked him into the lineup slowly, the third guy in a rotation of edge defenders opposite Hutchinson that varied by package.

Ojabo's breakout came against Wisconsin, Michigan's fifth game, when Ojabo contributing 2.5 sacks (+15/-3 in our charting), including the knockout punch to Graham Mertz, by teleporting around the Badgers' tackles. He continued to feast against all comers as a pass-rusher, inspiring a weekly bit in UFR where I'd switch to a Scottish accent to discuss things he was doing to pass protections that were too uncouth for the Queen's English. Ojabo had to develop in real time in dropbacks, which kept him off the field when Michigan went to their 3-4 looks.

Later opponents used this tendency, playing more TEs to keep Ojabo off the field; he saw just 17, 32, and 26 snaps against Indiana, Iowa, and Georgia. Unable to profit from NIL he declared when he was given a 1st round grade, then suffered an Achilles tear at Michigan's Pro Day.

Positives: Ceiling here is massive if the injury heals. Has legit 4.5 speed and can accelerate to that very quickly. Ideal measurables. Surprisingly developed as a pass-rusher, with an assortment of tricks. Very focused player with zero off-field concerns. Could have drawn 30 holding calls. Extremely underrated run defender: saw a lot of action as opponents ran away from Hutchinson, but consistently controlled his edge and constricted space. Great at setting an edge or caving a kickout. Never makes the same mistake twice, and mistakes were survivable (just three –2 or worse plays in his career).

Negatives: This was a long-term pick before the injury, which will need all of 2022 to heal, and might. Add that he came to college raw, lost a third of his development time to the pandemic, and left after just three years, and the team that drafts Ojabo probably has to carry him two contract years before they see the fruits of it. Still developing in real time, e.g. he struggled against zone reads in Game 4 but made no more mistakes all season, and who knows what Michigan was hiding him from.

Hello, fan of an NFL team. MGoBlog excruciatingly scouts every Michigan play, and scores them to inform our coverage. Since mi atleta es su atleta now, here we share what we're sharing.

Quickly: Cornerbackish safety or safetyish cornerback who excelled at nickel. Strength to take on tight ends but not a hard-hitter.

Draft Projection: Early to mid 1st round. He's a highly valued type of player who can fill a role in most secondaries, and once you get to the middle of the 1st round the guys who can truly change the course of your franchise are off the board and it's time to fill needs. Shouldn't fall out of the 1st round barring something weird.

NFL Comp: Marlon Humphrey. A safety-sized cornerback who plays a lot of nickel that you can't shake.

What's his story? The 5-star little brother of Ravens RB Justice Hill, basketball player, highest SPARQ rating of his class, Michigan had to fend off a late run by Alabama to keep one of their most desired recruits in program history. Emerged as starting nickel in 2019 and was an explosive presence off the edge while solving longstanding program issues with drag routes and slot fades. Development was slow as Michigan changed defenses and had an absentee safeties coach in 2020, prompting the most negative (of the coaches) film study I've ever posted. All issues went away in 2021 as Hill locked down the Nickel/SS job and prompted a running "They tried to edge Dax Hill, how did it work out for them?" gag as each week a different opponent tried to punish Michigan for playing Hill in too much horizontal space, and Hill proved it wasn't too much after all.

Positives: Elite speed, acceleration, and agility make him an ideal coverage corner. Shuts down fades, versatility to move around the secondary. Football IQ went from being a weakness to a major strength in the last year. Readily takes on blocks his size and length suggest he shouldn't win as much as he does. Versatility to take on any role from OLB to FCB on any given play. Can get up.

Negatives: Hill came a VERY long way in 2021—hat tip to Ronald Bellamy there—but is still pretty raw at times. Was a culprit in Michigan's early season screen issues, and occasionally got in trouble trying to make a play instead of end one. Better at producing tackles for others than making them himself in space. Can get to the QB on blitzes but tends to go for knockdowns; sack production is low for how often he gets in the backfield. Still a kid on the field and for real—Hill just turned 21—so projection required.

Hello, fan of an NFL team. MGoBlog excruciatingly scouts every Michigan play, and scores them to inform our coverage. Since mi atleta es su atleta now, here we share what we're sharing.

Quickly: The best player in the draft by college production. Highest floor in the draft, might not be JJ Watt.

Draft Projection: 1st or 2nd overall pick in a draft without any franchise quarterbacks seems about right. Teams picking there can't afford to mess that pick up, and Hutch is about as good a guarantee of that as you're going to get. I'd expect him to end up ~20th player in his draft class not the 1st, but if you actually know who the top five are going to be you should be in stocks.

NFL Comp: Nick Bosa or TJ Watt. Great measurements, spectacular college production that should translate to instant very good NFL DE, but not one of the freaks. Unless he's TJ Watt

What's his story? High-ish 4-star son of a 1990s All-American tackle (DE) in 2018. First inkling we had something was when our guys's senior high school scout revealed he was more than athletic enough to stay at WDE with a frame that's often on thr DT/DE line. Became a regular opposite Kwity Paye in 2019, first big play rescued a near upset at the hands of Army. Dominated Iowa. Played just 2 games in 2020, asked to 2-gap inside from DE spot to cover for DT deficiencies, unblockable vs MSU, then injured. Returned for senior season, moved out to DE/OLB in new defense, and was the best player in the country.

Positives: Gamebreaker. Ideal size and length for defensive end. Surprising speed, insane strength, uncanny motor. Cerebral, uncanny preparation. Array of pass-rush moves, favoring a vicious club and push-style outside moves, plus an advanced counter inside move. Shows up in the biggest games/moments. Superior run defender. Superior teammate. Generational player; it would be an upset if he's not in the NFL Hall of Fame eventually.

Negatives: Injured in 2020 but came back with no after-effects. If you were in position to draft him your franchise has been completely devastated from choosing the worst person in football to be your head coach recently, or you're the Detroit Lions.

What others say: Pro Football Focus thought he was unreal; they say he had the 2nd highest edge rush grade (92.4) in P5 history, led the Big Ten in run stops, led all FBS edges on all three downs and put up the 3rd highest grade by a defender since 2014, doing so with remarkable consistency.

Aidan Hutchinson led P5 Edges in Pass Rush Grade (93.4) AND Run Defense Grade (90.8)

The only other Edge Defender to do that since 2014: Nick Bosa (2017)pic.twitter.com/HI6JMgd21E

— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) March 25, 2022

Following the Ohio State game they had him as their pick for the Heisman. The NFL combine results, where he finished 2nd overall to ND's Kyle Hamilton, raised Hutchinson from likely 2nd overall pick to the consensus #1. He was also #2 overall on Bruce Feldman's freaks list last year, one spot above Hamilton and one behind Bama LT Evan Neal. On the other end, Ian Cummings has his doubts about Hutchinson's ceiling:

My evaluation of Hutchinson has been a roller coaster, quite frankly. I wasn’t a huge fan and saw him more as a Day 2 prospect over the summer. Then the 2021 season happened, and the hype took over. Some elements of his game popped over that span, most notably his red-hot motor, violent hands, lateral agility, and speed-to-power conversion.

However, rewatching the 2021 tape unearthed some concerns that may have been lost in the midseason hype. Hutchinson has above-average explosiveness off the line, but he’s not elite like his teammate Ojabo. His upright style further erodes that explosiveness. He often plays with his pads too high. With a high pad level, he can’t always launch out of his stance at full speed, and he can’t attain superior leverage and attack the torso consistently.

Our Scheme/Best Scheme: Any. Michigan used him as a B-gap quasi-tackle before his injury in 2020 to cover DT deficiencies, then moved him out to a wide-7 end with the occasional dropback as a senior. Best fit would be as an either-side end in a 4-3 system, where his pass rush is a constant threat and he can occasionally wreck things inside if asked to.