Aaron Donald Is Still Inspiring NFL's Next Generation

The number one overall pick in 2022, Walker is set to turn 26 this December. Just entering the physical prime of his life, Walker is set to explode in year five as his head coach uses memories of Aaron Donald to inspire greatness.

Coen Uses Donald To Inspire Walker

During Walker's end-of-season meeting, Coen used Aaron Donald as the example that Walker should emulate when setting his own standards for the rest of his career.

"It's just like taking my game to another level," stated Walker. "Obviously, he's seen Aaron Donald. He was on the team with Aaron Donald. So it just kind of helped put things in perspective for me to be able to just click it to a different type of mindset from how I was going throughout the year.

"And I feel like it really clicked [and] dawned on me that it's just time to ramp things up, take it to the next level."

Coen shared memories of what Donald used to do during his two stops with the Rams, using Donald's work ethic to display his vision for the type of player he believes Walker can become.

"We literally had to take [Donald] out of practice in order for us to gain yards on offense," stated Coen. "And so if you want to get where you want to go and where we want you to go and where you can go, I need to be taking you out of practice so that we can operate on offense. I want that kind of destruction and mindset and mentality."

"Habits. Not talent. It's just habits. Elite habits, elite practice, preparation, game preparation, those habits and the way that you practice on a day-to-day basis."

Walker has signed a massive, four-year extension, tying him to Jacksonville for the future, while Coen continues to develop a grossly underrated defense that is stacked on the line. Walker returns with Josh Hines-Allen, Arik Armstead, DaVon Hamilton (Ty Hamilton's brother), and others to build off Coen's inaugural campaign, where his team won the AFC South.