It's early, but Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson is on a record-breaking pace

• Already among the league's elite: Hutchinson has earned a 91.4 pass-rush grade since entering the league, fourth among all edge defenders in that span, trailing only Myles Garrett (95.6), Micah Parsons (93.9) and Nick Bosa (92.8) — a list that includes two recent Defensive Player of the Year winners.

• Is this the best year yet? Through two games, Hutchinson's 95.0 pass-rush grade leads the NFL. He's already racked up six sacks, four QB hits and 17 pressures with a 42.3% win rate — all the best in the league through Week 2.

• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Sign up now!

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Detroit hit the jackpot at the top of the 2022 NFL Draft when the Jacksonville Jaguars passed on Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson at No. 1 overall, allowing the hometown star to fall right into the Lions‘ laps.

According to Peter King, the Lions submitted their second overall pick so quickly that the league was reportedly upset they didn’t take more time. King noted that Detroit selected Aidan Hutchinson within a minute of being on the clock despite having 10 minutes to decide. Their enthusiasm was more than well-warranted — and who could blame them?

Hutchinson has earned a 91.4 pass-rush grade since entering the league, fourth among all edge defenders in that span, trailing only Myles Garrett (95.6), Micah Parsons (93.9) and Nick Bosa (92.8) — a list that includes two recent Defensive Player of the Year winners.

Hutchinson's 31 sacks rank tied for seventh during that span, while his 37 hits rank fifth. His 191 total pressures rank third, once again behind Nick Bosa (228) and Micah Parsons (226). His 18.6% pass-rush win rate is also a top-10 mark and comes in at seventh-best among edge defenders with at least 275 pass-rush snaps.

Highest pass-rush grades since 2022 | Edge defenders with at least 275 pass-rush snaps (postseason included)

Yet, 2024 might yield the best version of Hutchinson we've seen so far.

Through two games, Hutchinson's 95.0 pass-rush grade leads the NFL. He's already racked up six sacks, four QB hits and 17 pressures with a 42.3% win rate — all the best in the league through Week 2.

His win rate is so dominant that the next closest edge defender in that category is New England’s Josh Uche at 28.6%, which has come on 43 fewer pass-rushing snaps than Hutchinson.

Highest pass-rush win rates through NFL Week 2 | All defensive linemen with at least 25 pass-rush snaps

Since PFF began collecting data in 2006, Hutchinson's 95.0 pass-rush grade is the highest ever recorded for a player with at least 25 pass-rush snaps over the first two weeks of a season. The previous best was Robert Quinn’s 93.6 in 2013.

Hutchinson’s six sacks are just one behind the seven recorded by Clay Matthews in 2012 and Antwan Odom in 2009. His 18 pressures are just behind Maxx Crosby’s 19 in 2021, Von Miller’s 19 in 2017 and Trent Cole’s 19 in 2011.

Hutchinson’s 42.3% win rate is the highest we’ve ever recorded for an edge defender through the season's first two weeks, surpassing Rashan Gary’s 36% from last season.

The Lions star also has 14 additional pass-rush wins where the quarterback got the ball out too quickly for pressure to develop, tying Nick Bosa’s record from last year. So, despite already having six sacks, Hutchinson could have had even more, if not for quarterbacks releasing the ball quickly.

Highest pass-rush grades over the first two weeks of a season | All defensive linemen with at least 25 pass-rush snaps

What makes Hutchinson’s performance even more impressive is that none of his pressures have come from being unblocked, whether by design or offensive line mistakes. He’s beaten a blocker for every single one.

Hutchinson’s Week 1 performance against the Los Angeles Rams was a sight to behold. While he only recorded one sack, he tallied 12 total pressures in that game, a number often not reached by entire teams.

Hutchinson’s performance in Week 2 against the Buccaneers was also very impressive. In Week 1, Hutchinson didn’t have much luck converting pressures into sacks, but that changed in Week 2. On 25 pass-rush snaps, he turned five of his six pressures into sacks, including three in the first quarter, while also forcing a fumble and recording five run stops.

Despite the loss, he earned an impressive 90.9 PFF grade.

A Detroit Lion has never won the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year Award, which dates back to 1971. If Hutchinson keeps up his current pace, he will run away with it.