The Detroit Lions are excited about their newest addition to the defense, Aidan Hutchinson.
As the No. 2 overall pick, the former Michigan Wolverine is expected to provide a big boost to the unit in the 2022 NFL Season.
Oddsmakers at Michigan online sportsbooks are expecting just that for Hutchinson. Should Michigan sports bettors do the same?
Aidan Hutchinson Rookie of the Year Odds
While some of the Detroit Lions odds this season aren’t terribly optimistic, Hutchinson’s season odds are.
Hutchinson is listed as, at worst, a co-favorite to be the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Kayvon Thibodeaux of the New York Giants is the other favorite at Michigan sportsbooks. Both are rush ends that can impact a game quickly.
Should Hutchinson find himself in position to win DROY, that would put him somewhere in the mix for Defensive Player of the Year. It would also likely put him in the mix to be the NFL sack leader.
Hutchinson’s NFL betting for future odds in those two markets are much longer, but could provide more value to bettors willing to roll the dice.
According to BetMGM Michigan, Hutchinson is overwhelmingly getting the betting support for DROY. He is currently getting 49% of the tickets and 46.5% of the handle in the market. That definitely makes him the biggest liability for BetMGM right now.
Hutchinson is also getting 4.5% of the Defensive POY tickets and 3.9% of the handle.
Aidan Hutchinson Sack Total Odds
The Lions are in need of a big boost to their pass rush.
In the 2021 NFL season, the Lions had just 30 total sacks as a defense. Only two teams had fewer.
Detroit made improving that a priority with the selection of Hutchinson with the No. 2 overall pick.
In his final season with Michigan, Hutchinson put up 14 sacks to go along with 62 tackles for the Wolverines.
His efforts guided Michigan to a Big Ten championship and Hutchinson earned a spot as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
The Lions are hoping for more of that in 2022. Oddsmakers like him to be productive, but not quite hit double digits in sacks as a rookie.
Hutchinson is listed with an over/under of sacks for the 2022 season.
By comparison, Charles Harris led Detroit in sacks last season with 7.5.
Hutchinson makes splash in debut
It didn’t take Aidan Hutchinson long to get Detroit fans excited about his on-field play.
In Friday’s preseason opener with the Atlanta Falcons, Hutchinson made tackles on his first two snaps.
That included a tackle for loss on the second play, where he busted right through the line and swallowed up Falcons running back Qadree Ollison.
Hutchinson didn’t see many snaps in the game, but fans saw exactly what he can bring to the table.
Detroit Lions Season Odds have improved
The injection of Hutchinson into the Lions has slightly improved Detroit’s season odds.
Still one of the bigger longshots to win the Super Bowl, the Lions have seen their odds improve in most markets, falling to +10000 on FanDuel Sportsbook MI.
Where odds have notably improved is in the NFC North race. BetMGM Michigan has the Lions up to +850 to win the division this year.
BetMGM also lists the Lions at +375 to make the playoffs for the 2022 season.
