The race for the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award for 2026 is bound to be an interesting one. However, one analyst believes that Detroit Lions star Aidan Hutchinson has a hidden advantage over last year’s winner, Myles Garrett.

Garrett won his second Defensive Player of the Year award last season after a dominant season where he broke the NFL’s sack record with 23. However, only three players have ever won the award in consecutive seasons, but if there was anyone who could do it, it’s the new Los Angeles Rams star.  Yet, Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon has backed the Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson to win the award this season.

“It’s been nearly a decade since a player last won this award in back-to-back seasons, and if that trend continues, Hutchinson would likely become a hot candidate,” wrote Gagnon.

So, it's not about individual performance but the little-known NFL record that Hutchinson is likely to win, given the league-wide trend of no Defensive Player of the Year repeating as the winner in nearly 10 years.

In that case, Gagnon noted that Garrett could face challenges adjusting to or dealing with injuries and the strain of heavy workloads, opening the door for Hutchinson.

He believes that Will Anderson of the Houston Texans was an option, but eventually went with Hutchinson as his pick. 

“Hutchinson is one year further along than Anderson, and he’s coming off a bigger campaign in terms of both sacks (14.5 to 12) and forced fumbles (4 to 3),” wrote Gagnon.

Since being selected second overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, Hutchinson has become one of the league’s premier edge-rushers. He has accumulated five interceptions, eight forced fumbles, 176 combined tackles, and a staggering 43 sacks.

Meanwhile, Hutchinson has been ranked in the top 5 edge-rushers in the league by NFL executives, coaches, and scouts.

Hutchinson has been named in the top 5 edge-rushers list 

With training camps about to start, a survey was conducted with NFL executives, coaches, and scouts to rank the top 10 players in 11 different positions. It was no surprise to see last season’s Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett, ranked first. However, the same can’t be said for Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson.

In the list compiled by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler based on over 70 votes, Hutchinson was ranked fifth, behind Maxx Crosby, Will Anderson Jr., and Micah Parsons. Last season, Hutchinson ranked second in pressure with 63, third in quarterback hits with 35, fourth in sacks with 14.5, and second in the league for forced fumbles with four.

According to ESPN, a veteran NFL defensive coach had a lot of praise for Hutchinson and his ability.

“Skilled with his hands, very good speed-to-power rush to keep offensive tackles off balance, and his superpower is his motor is nonstop,” the coach had said.

Hutchinson is also the first player since 1982 to have 40 or more sacks and five or more interceptions in his first four NFL seasons.

What do you think of Hutchinson's chances to win the Defensive Player of the Year award? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Read more at Detroit Lions Community.

Written by

Dhruv Vishnu Nair

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar