Hutchinson named NFL Rookie of the Year

Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson was named the NFL Rookie of the Year.

Congratulations to @Aidanhutch97 for winning @Pepsi Rookie of the Year!

Thank you to all the amazing #Lions fans who voted! pic.twitter.com/S7iuEzd0sN

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) February 9, 2023

“Such an honor to be named the 2022 Pepsi Zero Sugar NFL Rookie of the Year,” fan favorite Hutchinson said.

“To my teammates, coaches, family, friends, and most importantly the fans, your support means so much to me. Couldn’t have done it without you.”

Hutchinson is the first rookie with at least nine sacks and three interceptions for the season since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic.

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He nabbed the statistic in the Jan. 1 game against Chicago with less than 10 seconds remaining before the half, intercepting Bears’ QB Justin Fields.

“For what we wanted him for, he’s everything we’ve wanted, man,” head coach Dan Campbell said of Hutchinson during a press conference.

“I mean this guy’s a football player, and with the No. 2 pick in the draft, we got a freaking football-playing dude, man, who’s a high motor, and he’s versatile as hell.”

Such an honor to be named the 2022 @Pepsi Zero Sugar @NFL Rookie of the Year. To my teammates, coaches, family, friends, and most importantly the fans, your support means to much to me. Couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you 🙏🏼#PepsiROTY #OnePride pic.twitter.com/bl3PFCZa6G

— Aidan Hutchinson (@aidanhutch97) February 9, 2023

Hutchinson finished his rookie season with 51 total tackles, 9.5 sacks, 2 pass deflections, 3 interceptions, and 9 tackles for a loss.

He was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for week 11 and was a two-time NFC Rookie of the Month (November 2022, December 2022-January 2023).