Ernest Jones has gone from being the leader of the South Carolina defense to learning the ropes as a rookie in the NFL with the Rams. And as is the case for many first-year players, lining up on the same field as Aaron Donald can be startling.
Jones is part of the same defense as Donald now and during OTAs last week, he was star-struck for a second after calling out a play. Donald didn’t hear the call, so he asked Jones again, which caused the rookie to freeze up.
“Last week sometime, I was calling the play out and he didn’t hear it. So he asked me again and I about froze up because I was like, ‘Bro, this is Aaron Donald,” Jones told reporters Wednesday.
Jones has yet to sit down and talk to Donald, but that conversation is coming, he says.
“I didn’t want to fanboy him at first, so I kind of tried to stand back from AD,” Jones said. “I haven’t talked to him yet, but it’s coming. I want a one-on-one, full conversation with him.”
Jones isn’t the first rookie to freeze up in the presence of Donald. Bobby Brown III was also stunned when he finally got to meet Donald on the practice field after idolizing him while in college at Texas A&M.
Both players will get more comfortable around the future Hall of Famer, of course, but playing on the same field as him might take some getting used to.
