ALLEN PARK — Aidan Hutchinson, entering his third season as a defensive lineman for the Detroit Lions, expects his growth as a player to continue to evolve.
He spent time changing certain routines in the offseason before training camp started a week ago.
“I really got my routines down with my diet, with a lot of my recovery, with a lot of the mental work I do as well. I feel like mind, body, spirit is getting those three facets of my life under control and operating at a high level is what I was focusing on,’’ Hutchinson said on Wednesday.
He hopes it sets him up for plenty of success this season.
The first-round pick in 2022 didn’t ease his way into the NFL He was on fire from the get-go as a rookie, finishing that season with 9.5 sacks. That number jumped to 11.5 in 2023. Often he might not have earned the sack statistic, but he’s the one whose play led to it.
In camp he is fine-tuning his game by lining up against right tackle Penei Sewell every day and learning from a new veteran teammate.
“It’s great, (Sewell and I) really do go back and forth every day. I get him a couple times, he may get me a couple times the next day. It’s a lot of fun,’’ Hutchinson said. “To get that work against that good of a player, it’s only going to help me in season, against a lot of the tougher O-lines we’re playing against. We’ve been going against each other for three years now.’’
Also this season he has a new linemate in seven-year veteran Marcus Davenport who signed with the Lions as a free agent after spending last season with the Vikings. They can make each other better.
“Every guy kind of sees the game a little differently. We were sitting there yesterday watching film, I was picking his brain,’’ Hutchinson said. “He sees things differently than I do in terms of how his process works pre-snap and how he works during the play. It’s funny how different guys minds operate but we’re all doing the same thing.’’
Coach Dan Campbell gave the team a break on Wednesday with a shorter unpadded practice that was more of a walk-through. That came after the first two days of pads.
“I think Dan has a great mind when it comes to that,’’ said Hutchinson of his coach who played 10 seasons in the NFL.
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