Aaron Donald didn’t suddenly become an elite player overnight. He didn’t just burst onto the scene in 2017 when he won his first Defensive Player of the Year award. He’s been dominant since he stepped foot in the NFL, earning trips to the Pro Bowl in each of his first five seasons.
What’s terrifying is that Donald has gotten better each season, culminating in a historic year in 2018 – a season that included the NFL record for sacks by a defensive tackle in one season (20.5). With the help of coaches and hard work, Donald continues to get better day by day.
But he’s also learned a few things from his teammates, too. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year credits Robert Quinn – a former PFWA Defensive Player of the Year, himself – for one of his best pass-rush moves: the chop-club.
“Honestly, I copied that from Robert Quinn,” Donald said in a video for NFL Network’s Top 100. “I watched his film and he would do the chop-club – he always did the chop-club with the jump. He had 19 sacks one year and I just did it one game – we were playing the Seahawks and I did it and I got through. I just worked it more and more and just kind of stole the jump chop-club from Robert Quinn. Shout out to Rob.”
So what exactly is the jump chop-club?
“When you’re in the air, you get the pressure a little bit more with this hand down. Then you just help push yourself through a little bit more, so it works,” Donald said, motioning his hands to show how it’s done.
You can see the move at the 3:57 mark in the video below, beginning with Broncos tackle Garett Bolles describing the jump move.
Quinn was a relentless and borderline dominant pass rusher for the Rams. It’s scary to think they had both him and Donald on the same defensive line for four years.
Even though he was limited by injuries in 2015 and ’16, Quinn still found ways to help Donald and it’s obvious he had an impact on his career. That chop-club move is a staple for No. 99 and the reason he gets as many sacks as he does.
