Walker and Hutchinson of the Jags, Lions meet again

Travon Walker and Aidan Hutchinson will be compared to each other indefinitely. They are in the same class. In the same position. Expectations just as high.
4-7 teams Detroit and Jacksonville, who won a combined five games in November, are clinging to slim playoff hopes and will face each other on Sunday for the first time as pros.
This is the second game in less than a year where Walker and Hutchinson are on opposite sidelines. In December, Walker’s Georgia team played in the College Football Playoff and defeated Michigan 34-11 in the Orange Bowl.
“I would love to trade jerseys with Aidan,” said Walker from Jacksonville this week. ”
“I guess the competitive nature within the game and how we got drafted is what makes a lot of people try to make it about competition when it comes to us two.” I’d love to swap jerseys with him.
Although both defenses have been far from stout — the Lions rank last in yards allowed while the Jaguars have a meager 16 sacks — their newest and brightest stars give them centerpieces to build around going forward.
“We’ve got a good pick up over there and I think they got a good pick,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said.
As it became clear that general manager Trent Baalke and coach Doug Pederson planned to select Walker over Hutchinson with the No. 1 pick, Jacksonville shocked many outsiders. There is one choice. Hutchinson was considered less versatile than Walker when it came to rushing the passer.
They envisioned the former Georgia standout, despite notching just 9 ½ sacks in three years of college, as an outside linebacker who could drop into coverage or line up anywhere along the defensive line and affect opposing quarterbacks.
Hutchinson, who was welcomed by the Lions at No. 12, is from the same hometown. The man that was here yesterday is gone
The man who was here yesterday is gone. In college, the former Michigan star had 18 ½ sacks, 14 of which were in his senior year–a stellar season that helped him finish second in Heisman Trophy voting.
This week, Hutchinson acknowledged that the draft decision “will stick with me forever.”
I thought I was going. “About three months before the draft, something changed,” Hutchinson told the Detroit Free Press. ”
My arms weren’t long enough to hit the ball a week before the draft. We’ll see if an extra inch or two made a difference.
The Jaguars fell in love with Walker because of his size and athleticism, which they believe give him a higher ceiling than Hutchinson.
Hutchinson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.51 seconds at the NFL combine, more than two-tenths of a second slower than Walker. Hutchinson’s arms measured 32 inches, 3 ½ inches shorter than Walker’s.
A more accurate gauge will come over time. After the first 11 games of their NFL careers, Hutchinson has been the more productive pass rusher, but for now.
Hutchinson has 5 ½ sacks, 10 quarterback hits, 2 interceptions, and 1 fumble return. Although Walker has more tackles than his opponents, he also had two costly roughing-the-passer penalties that may have cost Jacksonville early season victories against Houston and Indianapolis.
“I have definitely grown,” Walker said. ”
I still have a long way to go. There’s always room for improvement. I’m not doing it for them, even though there are just small parts of my game that a lot of people outside may not recognize. I’m doing it to help my team win.
Now they meet again, but with much different stakes; both guys are still making strides.
“Just keep going,” said Walker. ”
Do not focus on tackling the quarterback; they will be sacked eventually. I will only make plays that I am supposed to make.