Aidan Hutchinson is expected to be one of the first names off the board in the NFL Draft, but one Ohio State lineman isn’t quite as impressed by him.
Left tackle Thayer Munford faced Hutchinson during the Michigan-Ohio State game in 2021 and was on the wrong end of one of the game’s most memorable plays. Late in the fourth quarter, Hutchinson bowled Munford over with what looked like relative ease in a play that encapsulated Michigan’s dominance in the trenches that day.
Aidan Hutchinson. Certified BAMF 😤 pic.twitter.com/6qd7QXQrAt
— WeAreBigGuys (@WeAreBigGuys) December 10, 2021
On Thursday at the NFL Combine, Munford was asked about the play. While he praised Hutchinson as a “great player,” he blamed his technique for failing him. Munford even downplayed how good Hutchinson was when asked if the Michigan defensive lineman represented his toughest matchup.
“Not really (the toughest),” Munford said, via Kyle Meinke of MLive. “Basically my toughest matchup was always practice. So basically, my first two years were Chase Young and Nick Bosa. Blocking those two every day, yeah, you see what they can do in the NFL. So.”
To be fair, Young and Bosa are great players. They have proven it in the NFL and Hutchinson has not. But he also made Munford look pretty bad, which should probably count for something considering Munford himself is an NFL prospect.
Of course, Munford is an Ohio State guy to the core, and was even willing to take on Desmond Howard over something the former Heisman winner said. He’s not going to give Hutchinson that much credit.
Photo: Michigan Wolverines defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) warms up before the game against the Michigan State Spartans, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021.
