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This has been a dream season for the Michigan Wolverines. The team is a strong contender for a playoff spot if they beat Iowa on Saturday, and they finally managed to beat the Ohio State Buckeyes in Jim Harbaugh's era, one that started a long time ago.
The biggest star on Michigan's football team is defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, whose draft stock is currently in the top 10. But some people believe that while top 10 is already high, Hutchinson should be drafted earlier than that.
Jim Harbaugh says Hutchinson should be the first overall pick in 2022
Harbaugh has never been one to stay away from the spotlight for various reasons, and his opinions always carry some weight.
Hutchinson is currently projected to be the second-best edge in this year's draft, with Oregon superstar Kayvon Thibodeaux widely regarded as the frontrunner for the first-overall pick in 2022. But Harbaugh believes this opinion is not correct:
“If there’s a better player out there that’s draft-eligible that’s better than Aidan Hutchinson, I have not seen that player,” Harbaugh said. "I can tell you what I have seen is every single down he plays, he doesn’t take a play off. Quite the opposite, and he’s the same way in practice. Athletically, strength, speed. I mean, he’s going to check every single box on and off the field."
"I don’t know who will have the first pick in the draft, but they should be studying — very thoroughly — Aidan Hutchinson, and they should take him. There’s been some awfully good players that have played here at Michigan and not done what Aidan Hutchinson has done. And I’ve said it about Hassan Haskins. Those two players — Hassan Haskins, Aidan Hutchinson — I think they very much should be in consideration for the Heisman Trophy"
Now that's some high praise from one of the most famous coaches in the country. Harbaugh knows a thing or two about the NFL, having coached in the Super Bowl against his own brother, John Harbaugh, to whom he lost Super Bowl XLVII in February 2013.
Will Hutchinson be the first overall pick? That seems unlikely as of now, but the draft is only in April, so there's a lot of time, discussions and analysis before the picks are really made. His quality is undeniable, but taking the spot of Thibodeaux may be too much to ask.
