ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, along with execs, coaches and players, ranked the top 10 edge rushers in the NFL this week. There were no Detroit Lions on the main list this year. He did have one in the honorable mentions section though. That would be last season second overall pick Aidan Hutchinson. Here's what they had to say: 

"Hutchinson led all rookies with 9.5 sacks and had three interceptions and 52 tackles. "He's more than a try-hard guy," an NFC executive said. "He made plays where he's baiting the quarterback into an interception by the sideline. He's an athlete."

Reading this ranking had me wondering if Aidan Hutchinson can do enough in 2023 to make the jump from honorable mention to top 10. Let's talk about it. 

Run it back

The bare minimum that Hutchinson can do to simply find himself in the conversation is just go out and do the same thing he just did in his rookie year. He's already statistically in front of some of the guys that made the top 10 list. If he can run back what he did last year and show that he's able to sustain the play he showed as a rookie, he could find himself in the top 10. 

Nobody expects him to have three interceptions again. Frankly, I don't expect him to have one interception in 2023. It's not easy for a defensive lineman to pick off the quarterback. Hutchinson just happened to be in the right place at the right time three times last year. He should be able to, at the very least, tally 9.5 sacks again in 2023. 

Top That 

Just like they say in Teen Witch, you gotta top that. Maybe that's not what they said verbatim, but you get it. Can't believe I was finally able to work that into an article. It only too 10 years.

Alright, back to football. The easiest way to move up the ranks is for Hutchinson to go out and top what he did in his rookie year. Again, the interception thing would be hard to top, but if Hutchinson can go out and notch something liek 12 sacks in his sophomore season, that could really help make him one of the best in the league. It's possible. Here's what each guy in the top 10 did in their second season. 

Players	Year one sacks	Year two sacks
Nick Bosa	9	0
Myles Garrett	7	13.5
Micah Parsons	13	13.5
T.J. Watt	7	13
Haason Reddick	2.5	4
Maxx Crosby	10	7
Brian Burns	7.5	9
Matthew Judon	4	8
Von Miller	11.5	18.5
Joey Bosa	10.5	12.5

Pretty much every guy made the jump in their second year. So we know it's doable. Hutchinson needs to be the next guy to follow in those footsteps.

Become a Star

It's not the easiest thing to do and it's not necessarily required, but the more exposure you get, the more you're in the mind of the list makers. Some of the guys on this list might not really be top 10 quality anymore. But they are stars in this league and everyone knows it. That kind of thing goes a long way. 

How do you become a star? You have to be good first obviously. But it's more than that. You have to put up some highlight plays and you have have swagger. Hutchinson has shown that he can do both of those things. We've seen him do the Michael Jackson dances out there. If Hutchinson can go out there and get noticed each week, he'll be well on his way to being a star in the NFL.

Featured image by Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports