I Would Like to Welcome Aidan Hutchinson to the Detroit Lions

Georgia edge rusher Travon Walker has become the belle of the ball during the frenzied NFL mock draft season and is now the odds-on favorite to go No. 1 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. No one really knows anything and this could prove to be a franchise-saving selection or a monumental mistake. Independent of results, it is interesting to consider if the explosion of draft-related content and its ascendence to a marquee event has resulted in more teams trying to prove they're the smartest war room in the bunker.

That discussion can wait for another day though because the most important part of the new expected order is that it would allow Aidan Hutchinson to be there for the Detroit Lions. And folks, let me tell you that it would be a gigantic missed opportunity if the organization doesn't already have his name written on the draft card, laminated for preservation and ready to be rushed to commissioner Roger Goodell as soon as legally allowed.

Tapping Hutchinson to be the defensive captain for the next several years, hopefully dovetailing with some sort of competitive respectability for once, simply makes too much sense not to happen. Born in nearby Dearborn, he was a standout for Divine Child before putting up an exemplary career at Michigan. A local sports star making good in the only area code he's ever known is a quaint story and certainly not the only way to find success. But in this specific case, both player and franchise would find their soul's counterbalance.

No organization embraces blue-collar cosplay or actual blue-collar work ethic like the Lions. They are the Ford assembly plant of football teams. Dan Campbell has done nothing but deepen this ethos. Hutchinson is seen as that J.J. Watt type. The consummate worker who is going to roll up his sleeves and be a grinder. And look, some or all of this could be nonsense. It's still the best path forward.

Why? Well, first off and most importantly, Hutchinson will be an immediate impact player. He'll increase excitement among the fanbase. Campbell can deepen his imprint on the project and make a statement about the way forward. When you talk to those around the team, they almost universally praise the manchild coach for building out a staff and support system that wants to work for him. This is not nothing.

And having a marquee player who can become an extension on the field and build the new culture would be invaluable. I realize this entire take feels like it's coming from someone with a very simple smooth brain yet I really believe this is the play. An oversimplification, maybe, and not a one-size-fits-all strategy.

The Lions have done nothing of consequence for 60 years. They have employed all manner of plans to no avail. The simplest, most obvious one is just crazy enough to work. Let's get this guy his badge as soon as humanely possible.