It’s not the first time they’ve seen each other since making it to the NFL, but it’s a cool postgame moment.
The Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts held joint practices this past week before taking place in the second week of preseason play. That meant that former Wolverine edge rushers Aidan Hutchinson and Kwity Paye were able to catch up now that they’re with their new respective teams.
Fast forward to Saturday, and the Lions edged out the Colts, 27-26, at Lucas Oil Stadium. While Hutchinson didn’t suit up for Detroit, the last time he was on that field, he was hoisting both the Big Ten Championship trophy as well as the award given to the game’s MVP. Paye, who had graduated the year before, was a first-round NFL draft pick by the Colts in 2021, and was there playing on his home turf.
After the game, the duo met up from opposite sidelines, able to show love to each other even though now they’re playing for different, non-Michigan Wolverine teams. It was a cool moment, if you’re a Michigan fan.
In the Jim Harbaugh era, it’s the first time he’s sent two edge rushers who played alongside each other as starters into the NFL as first-round draft picks. It’s pretty impressive if you consider that Hutchinson was a decently-ranked, but not top-ranked, four-star out of Dearborn (Mich.) Divine Child, while Paye was a three-star from Warwick (RI) Bishop Hendricken.
The challenge for Michigan with both of them gone, along with second-round pick David Ojabo, will be to replace their production in 2022.
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