Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald announced his retirement from football earlier this week, putting a period at the end of an illustrious NFL career.
But where does Donald rank all time?
Many (if not most) feel that Donald is one of the best defensive players to ever step on the gridiron, and during a sit-down interview with his wife, Erica, he was asked if he thinks he is the greatest ever.
While Donald wouldn’t go as far to say that he is No. 1 all time, he did say that he thinks he may be the best player of his generation.
“I think in my era yes, but everybody was different,” Donald said, via the Rams’ official YouTube account. “You’ve got guys that were great that I looked up to like Ray Lewis that were the greatest in their time, [Troy] Polamalu a Pittsburgh guy, Lawrence Taylor. Different eras, it’s hard to say, because the game changed so much.”
Donald, who played his collegiate football at the University of Pittsburgh, was selected by the Rams with the 13th overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft. The Rams were still in St. Louis at the time.
The superstar went on to make the Pro Bowl in all 10 of his NFL seasons, also earning eight First-Team All-Pro selections while winning three Defensive Player of the Year awards.
His best individual campaign came in 2018, when he led the league with 20.5 sacks to go along with 59 tackles, four forced fumbles and a couple of fumble recoveries.
Of course, the pinnacle of Donald’s career came in February 2022, when he helped lead the Rams to a Super Bowl championship.
Even in his last season, the 32-year-old was still impressive, registering 53 tackles and eight sacks en route to a Pro Bowl appearance and a First-Team All-Pro nod.
Aaron Donald may not be the greatest defensive player to ever play the game. As he noted, there are so many other tremendous players who deserve consideration. But there is no question that he will be in the Hall of Fame one day, and he is at the very least one of the best to ever do it.
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