National Football League

Aidan Hutchinson ‘has a lot of juice to him,’ Lions veteran says

Published Jun. 4, 2022 9:28 p.m. ET

There isn’t much Detroit Lions defensive end Michael Brockers hasn’t seen in his previous 10 seasons in the NFL.

The 31-year-old is being looked to as a leader both on the field and in the locker room. He showed up early to minicamp and has made himself available to teammates and coaches.

Brockers told Christian Booher of Sports Illustrated that he’s been lining up as a strong-side defensive end, which plays into his strengths as a defender.

"You’ve got a 3-4 kind of feel to you, but it’s more attack than reading and freeing up the linebackers," Brockers said via Booher. "Everybody has a gap. Hit your gap, win your gap and let’s go play some ball."

With the new scheme comes competition for time with rookie Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions’ second overall pick in the 2022 draft. Brockers says the rookie has made a strong impression on him

"He’s a very big guy," Brockers said about his teammate. "He’s gonna fit well into our scheme. Has a lot of juice to him, you can see it already. He’s just gonna keep getting better, and that’s what’s the scary thing about him. He’s a guy who’s ready to learn. He’s like a sponge, he’ll pick up everything. … But, I’m very excited to have him on this team and have him on this defensive line."

The Lions are coming off a 3-13-1 record and last-place finish in the NFC North last season.