Another list, another spot at the top reserved for Aaron Donald. It’s been an offseason of No. 1 selections for Donald, who is widely regarded as the best player in the NFL right now. From Pro Football Focus’ list to Doug Farrar’s ranking for Touchdown Wire, Donald has been named the top player in the league countless times in 2019.
Well, now he has another honor to add to his ever-growing list.
On Wednesday, Donald was revealed as the No. 1 player on NFL Network’s list of the Top 100 Players for 2019. It’s the second time he’s been voted in the top 10 and his fifth overall appearance in the top 100.
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It’s mildly surprising Donald edged out reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes, who was No. 4, for the top spot, but only because quarterbacks typically get ranked higher on these lists. Donald is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, an all-time great defensive tackle and someone offensive linemen consistently rave about – because they despise facing him.
He’s simply on another level when it comes to defensive linemen, particularly interior defenders. Despite being undersized by most standards, Donald uses his power and foot speed to get where he wants, when he wants. Sometimes when watching tape, it almost seems as if he teleports into the backfield.
That’s not something said about many other players, if any at all.
Last season alone, he led the league in sacks (20.5), pressures (113), tackles for loss (25) and quarterback hits (41). Essentially, he was the most dominant pass rusher in the league. He’s certainly deserving of the No. 1 spot on this list, and if he keeps up this level of play, he’ll be No. 1 again in 2020.
The other Rams to make the top 100 this year are Eric Weddle (100), Andrew Whitworth (91), Robert Woods (76), Jared Goff (32) and Todd Gurley (5).
