Sports
Rams’ Aaron Donald Is the ‘Best Player in Football,’ Says Anonymous NFC Scout
Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty ImagesLos Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald was the universal No. 1 pick when ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler polled 50 people inside the NFL to rank the top defensive linemen.Fowler noted Donald was the only player to be ranked first across the board at any position. One NFC scout told Fowler that the five-time All-Pro is…
Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald was the universal No. 1 pick when ESPN's Jeremy Fowler polled 50 people inside the NFL to rank the top defensive linemen.
Fowler noted Donald was the only player to be ranked first across the board at any position. One NFC scout told Fowler that the five-time All-Pro is the “best player in football.”
The high praise for Donald speaks to how dominant he has been through his six seasons. He has collected 293 total tackles and 72 sacks, the latter of which is impressive for an interior lineman.
The 29-year-old is so explosive off the snap that opponents struggle to get even a hand on him as he collapses the pocket and pressures the quarterback.
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According to Pro Football Focus, Donald had a pass-rush win percentage of 22.4 during the 2019 season. That was the best in the NFL, with no other qualified lineman finishing at better than 17.5 percent. PFF crowned him as the Defensive Player of the Year in January.
Mike Waufle, who was the Rams' defensive line coach from 2012-16, told Bleacher Report's Mirin Fader in November 2018 that Donald will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame one day.
While his physical tools are easy for all to see, Fader went on to detail Donald's preparations away from the field:
“This is how Donald analyzes football film: He obsesses over details and tendencies others might not recognize. Earlier this season, he was dissecting the angle and timing with which a certain guard's knee twitched. He stared closer, harder, plotting how he might react or even exploit the twitch.
[…]
“Waufle remembers catching Donald in the Rams' facility parking lot at 6 p.m. on Christmas Day in 2015. He realized then that Donald had been there all day. More film. This didn't surprise Waufle, though. It used to tick him off when Donald would already be in the D-line office, jotting down notes, at 6 a.m. Waufle had to find a new room to prepare for the day.”
Based on his performance in 2019, Donald won't be slowing down anytime soon, and that will be important for the Rams as they look to improve upon a disappointing 9-7 season.
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