Newly retired defensive lineman Aaron Donald is giving way to a new generation of defensive stars, and one in particular has caught his eye and deserves more respect in his mind.
In an interview on his YouTube channel, Donald was asked if any defenders could be “the next Aaron Donald.” Donald was dismissive of that specific title, but he did single out one player that he feels is underrated.
“I would say T.J. Watt. He’s a guy that’s been consistently been doing it every single year,” Donald said. “He’s a guy that’s going to consistently get 15 sacks, 20 (tackles for a loss), probably two interceptions, a touchdown for sure. He’s a guy that’s been doing it consistently that I felt like should have won a couple more (Defensive Player of the Year awards) and kind of got snubbed a couple times, not gonna lie.”
Watt did win Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021 but finished as runner-up in 2020 and 2023. Several people, Watt included, thought he had a legitimate case for the most recent award, which instead went to Cleveland’s Myles Garrett.
Donald was right when it came to Watt’s statistical consistency. Watt had 19 sacks, 19 tackles for a loss and four forced fumbles for the Steelers last year, numbers that are right in line with his usual output as long as he isn’t hit by injuries.
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