Lions Rookie Report Card: Hutchinson, Paschal Make Presence Felt

All Lions provides its Week 7 rookie report card for the Detroit Lions.

Overall wise, Detroit's rookie class put together a productive day in the team's Week 7 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. 

Aidan Hutchinson and Kerby Joseph led the way, while rookie Josh Paschal had a solid NFL debut. 

Here are the grades for the rookies that suited up for the Lions Sunday. 

EDGE Aidan Hutchinson: A 

On Sunday, Hutchinson looked like the player the Lions expected to get when they invested the No. 2 overall pick in him. The Michigan product amassed three total tackles, 1.5 sacks and three total QB hits, earning himself a 78.1 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. It was good for the third-highest PFF grade among all Detroit players for the game. 

Prior to the Week 7 contest, he hadn't produced a sack since his three-sack performance in Week 2 against the Washington Commanders.

Seeing Hutchinson consistently get after Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was a welcome sight for the Lions, and hopefully it's a sign of things to come from the EDGE rusher moving forward. 

Tim Heitman, USA TODAY Sports

S Kerby Joseph: A-

Joseph played in at least 95 percent of Detroit's defensive snaps for the third consecutive week, and recorded the best performance of his rookie campaign. 

He logged a career-best four total tackles, to go along with his first ever QB hit, his first career pass defensed and his first ever forced fumble. It was good for a 67.0 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, the sixth-highest mark among all Lions defenders in Week 7. 

Detroit head coach Dan Campbell is pleased with the progress the first-year safety has made since the beginning of the season. 

"He’s this close. He’s this close," Campbell told reporters Monday. "Every game, he gets this much closer to getting one, is one of the reasons we liked him, he’s a ball guy. He’s got instincts back there, he’s got range and he’s this close. So, every week, he’s gotten better and better and better. And that was huge, we preached takeaways last week, and he came up with a big one in the red zone. So, he’s trending the right way.”

CB Chase Lucas: C- 

The Lions continue to rely on Lucas on special teams. He logged 14 special teams snaps Sunday, equating to the highest percentage of snaps he's been involved in (64 percent) since the beginning of the season.

However, he failed to make an impact on the stat sheet -- he didn't record a single tackle -- and also didn't log even one defensive snap.

Fellow corners Jeff Okudah, Amani Oruwariye and AJ Parker still sit ahead of the first-year pro on the depth chart. So, it might be a while until Lucas is given a legitimate chance to prove his worth. 

TE James Mitchell: D 

T.J. Hockenson and Brock Wright are both presently ahead of Mitchell on the Lions' depth chart. So, it hasn't left the Virginia Tech product with much of a chance to make an impact thus far. And, Week 7 proved to be much of the same for the first-year tight end. 

Mitchell logged a total of 13 snaps, six on the offensive side of the ball and seven on special teams. He earned a dismal 52.2 overall mark for his efforts against Dallas, which was the second-lowest grade handed out by PFF to a Detroit offensive player for the week. 

He's still searching for the first reception of his career, and might be hard-pressed to get it this season, as long as Hockenson and Wright stay healthy.

EDGE Josh Paschal: B

Paschal made his NFL debut Sunday, and made an immediate impact along Detroit's defensive line. He moved up and down it, and finished the game with two combined tackles and two pressures.

Additionally, he logged a staggering 56 snaps in the Week 7 tilt, the fourth-highest total by a Lions defender.

Although the Kentucky product didn't light up the stat sheet, he did enough to impress his head coach.

"Yeah, it’s good to have him. He’s an explosive player, he’s got versatility and he’s high-motor,” Campbell said. “And, he’s smart. He made a couple rookie errors out there, which you knew he would in his first game, but he also popped. He flashed in there. It was very encouraging, very encouraging. There’s a lot of room for him to grow.”

LB Malcolm Rodriguez: C+ 

Rodriguez played in his lowest percentage of defensive snaps since Week 2 (73 percent), and amassed just four total tackles (his lowest mark of the season). 

The Oklahoma State product has made a tackle on punt coverage in three consecutive games, however. It's an example of the versatility he provides to Aaron Glenn's defense.

He didn't register his best statistical game against the Cowboys. Yet, even in the Week 7 loss, the sixth-rounder continued to show why he has the potential to grow into an impactful NFL starting linebacker.