There’s been a lot of talk this offseason about who is the best player in the NFL. Patrick Mahomes has a case to be made after his remarkable 50-touchdown, MVP season in 2018, while Khalil Mack, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers also get consideration from some.
But in 2019, that title goes to Aaron Donald. On just about every list – whether it’s one voted on by players or created by an analyst – Donald has been No. 1. That was the case on NFL Network’s Top 100 Players for 2019, which is a player-voted ranking.
After hearing what his teammates and opponents had to say, it’s easy to see why he was given the No. 1 spot.
Luke Kuechly: “He’s a guy that’s just disruptive. He’s disruptive in the run game, he’s disruptive in the pass game.”
Cameron Heyward: “Just the explosion off the ball. I think he’s the best player in the league right now.”
George Kittle: “He’s pretty similar to Khalil Mack. He’s just kind of better than everyone else. And if you don’t put all your attention on him, he’s going to make a play to change the game.”
Von Miller: “He’s been a beast since he stepped foot in the National Football League. If you look at his game, it’s not only just pass rush. He’s a beast in the run game, chasing the ball down, gets tackles for loss.”
Todd Gurley: “No one’s figured it out yet [on how to block him]. There’s no formula, there’s no recipe. He’s one of a kind.”
Gerald McCoy: “He’s the best player in the NFL.”
Mitchell Trubisky: “The things he does on film, it looks like a cheat code.”
Donald has undoubtedly earned the respect of his peers and for him to be named the No. 1 player in the NFL – on a list that’s very often quarterback-favored – is incredible. It’s not often defensive tackles are viewed this highly, but Donald is just different.
